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— 


Book.__ jL-2- 

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ffOFXRIGHT DEPOStR 













The Coming King 


EXPOSITORT WORKS 

By William Evans, D.D. 

The Coming King 

The World’s Next Great Crisis . . $1.50 

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THROUGH THE BIBLE , BOOK B Y BOOK 

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The Coming King 

The World’s Next Great Crisis 



WILLIAM EVANS, Ph. D., D.D. 

%s 9 9 

Author of “Epochs in the Life of Christ," “ The Book 
of Genesis," “ The Books of the Pentateuch," etc . 




New York 

Fleming H. 

London 


Chicago 

Revell Company 

Edinburgh 


and 


Copyright, 1923, by 

FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 



* 



© Cl A 711232 

New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
London: 21 Paternoster Square 
Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street 


To 

my Sincere Friend 

SIDNEY T. SMITH\ 
of Winnipeg , Manitoba , 

Canada 

One whose life and devotion have been 
an encouragement , and who 
“ loves His appearing ” 






Contents 


Introduction . . . . . . n 

I. The Crisis Defined . . a . .15 

1. False Ideas. 

2. Scriptural View. 

II. The Certainty of the Crisis . , .19 

1. Corroboration of the Fact. 

(a) Testimony of the Scriptures. 

(£) The Prophetic Witness. 

(V) The Teaching of Jesus Himself. 

(*/) Angelic Announcement. 

( e ) Apostolic Witness. 

(/') Testimony of the Apostolic Church. 

(g) What the Apostolic Fathers Say. 

( h ) Testimony of the Nicene Fathers- 

2. Opposition to the Fact. 

(a) Caused by Abuses of the Doctrine. 

(<£) Arising from Ignorance of the Scriptures. 

(r) Attributed to Over-emphasis of the Doctrine. 

( d ) Accounted for by Worldiness in the Church. 

( e ) Prejudice. 

III. The Nature of the World-Crisis . . 54 

1. A Personal Coming of Christ. 

2. A Visible Coming of Christ. 

3. A Coming of Christ to this Earth. 

4. False Views Regarding this Coming. 

( a ) Death. 

(^) The Destruction of Jerusalem. 

( c ) The Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. 

7 


8 


CONTENTS 


IV. The Program or Order of Events—The 
World’s Next Great Crisis 

1. The Coming of Christ is a Crisis with a View 

to a Process. 

2. In Its Relation to the True Church. 

(a} The Rapture—Including 

(1) The Resurrection of the Righteous 

Dead. 

(2) The Transformation of the Righteous 

Living. 

(3) The Catching up of the Righteous 

both Dead and Living. 

(J?) The Judgment Seat of Christ. 

(r) The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 

3. In Relation to the Apostate Church. 

(a) Events following the Rapture and Preceding 
the Seventieth Week. 

(1) The Rise of the Antichrist. 

(2) The Great Apostasy. 

4. In Relation to the Jews and the Holy Land. 

(a) The Seventieth Week Itself. 

(1) Generally Divided and Described. 

(2) Antichrist and the False Prophet. 

(3) The Great Tribulation. 

(4) Har-Magedon. 

5. The Millennium. 

(a) Character of the Millennium. 

(<£) Its Close. 

6. The Last Things. 

(a) Gog and Magog. 

(J?) The Final Overthrow of Satan. 

(V) The Great White Throne Judgment. 

(y) The New Heavens and New Earth. 

V. The Time of Christ’s Coming 

I. Caution Against Extravagances. 

2 o Could Christ Come To-day ? 

( a ) The Premillennial Position. 

(1) The Teaching of the New Testa¬ 

ment. 

(2) John 21 : 21, 22. 


CONTENTS 


9 


(3) 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17. 

(4) Exhortations to Watchfulness. 

(5) Meaning of “ Key Words ”: Quickly 

—Watch—At Hand—Little While, 
etc. 

(<£) The Postmillennial Position. 

(1) That Pre- is a “Jewish” Doctrine. 

(2) “ Based on but One Scripture.” 

(3) The Silence of Jesus. 

(4) “ Pre- Dishonours the Gospel.” “Leaven” 

—“Stone cut out of Mountain.” “Cities 
of Israel ”—“ This Generation,” etc. 
World-Conversion. Startling Facts. 

(5) That Pre- “ Cuts the Nerve of Missionary 

Activity.” 

(6) Dr. West’s Reasons. 

VI, Why Study the Second Coming of Christ? 240 




* 







Introduction 


T HAT there is to-day a well-nigh universal feel¬ 
ing that the world is on the eve of a momentous 
and epoch-making crisis cannot very well be 
denied. It is a fact patent to every thoughtful observer 
of the “signs of the times.’’ 

Nor is this feeling confined to any one class of people. 
It is not the ecstatic conclusion of the so-called “religious 
faddist”; nor is it, as has sometimes been the case—the 
“Millerites,” for example,—a doctrine or teaching mo¬ 
nopolized by the overwrought and illiterate religious en¬ 
thusiast. The deeply religious and thoughtful man; the 
Biblical scholars of both the premillennial and post- 
millennial schools; the most Scripturally instructed peo¬ 
ple of our day—these are the people most deeply con¬ 
scious of and concerned over the fact that we are in deed 
and in truth on the eve of a great world-crisis. Not long 
ago, the president of a theological seminary expressed his 
opinion that some such crisis was imminent, and in order 
that he might more carefully study the matter, made in¬ 
quiry regarding the best books on the subject. The 
numerous letters that are being received by the best 
Bible students and teachers, and at the offices of the 
editors of our religious journals, the world over, bear 
witness to the deep-seated consciousness that some event 
of serious moment is about to come upon the world. 

Nor are these letters of inquiry from the mere relig¬ 
iously curious. They are from pastors, teachers, and 

11 


12 


INTRODUCTION 


sound and scholarly Bible students. A prominent 
preacher stood up in a conference and said that a certain 
great preacher and evangelist had been assigned to visit 
the churches in a given section of our country which 
were in danger of being split to pieces on the rock of the 
Second Coming of Christ. He said that over 300,000 
copies of a certain book on the Second Coming had been 
sold during that year, and that the Church everywhere, 
indeed, seemed to be about going wild on this subject. 
The preacher said, further, that the foreign mission 
field was most seriously affected with the view that some 
such great crisis, like that of the Second Coming of 
Christ, was imminent, and that to remedy this crisis 
in religious experience, one of the strongest men of the 
Foreign Mission Board would be sent over there (refer¬ 
ring especially to Korea in this case) to stem the tide of 
such teaching. 

Those who are * 4 specialists’’ in Bible study, who have 
spent a lifetime in searching out and discussing subjects 
of this nature, and who are, therefore, specially qualified 
to speak in the matter with a right to be heard with 
authority, all express belief that we are on the eve of 
some momentous crisis. 

Further, it is worthy of note that it is not among those 
of religious thought alone that this feeling exists. Peo¬ 
ple in every walk of life seem deeply conscious that we 
are on the eve of some great world-crisis—a crisis of such 
nature as will be characterized by nothing less than the 
superhuman and supernatural. Our entire commercial 
system, from the capitalist to the small retail dealer, is 
shot through with uncertainty and fear for the things 
that are impending. Among governments there is a gen¬ 
eral feeling extant that no human power, being, king, 


INTRODUCTION 


13 


kingdom or democracy can bring about a lasting peace 
—that no one less than the Prince of Peace Himself can 
accomplish such a consummation so devoutly wished for 
by weary, suffering and war-sick humanity. 

Here then is a feeling so general and universal, so re¬ 
moved from being the heritage of any one class, and 
shared so largely by men and women of all classes and 
conditions, that to ignore it is to lay oneself open to the 
charge of indifference, ignorance, or imbecility, none of 
which would be flattering to any man, especially to one 
claiming to be a thinker or leader of the thought and 
life of others, and surely not to the Christian and min¬ 
ister of the Gospel. “Ye can discern the face of the 
sky, ’’ why can ye not ‘ ‘ discern the signs of the times ? ’ ’ 
said Jesus. The voice of universal humanity can hardly 
be wrong. So universal a consciousness should be 
listened to with great care. Such a universal conscious¬ 
ness of some great impending event immediately pre¬ 
ceded the first coming of Christ. It was in “the full¬ 
ness of time” that Christ’s first coming took place. The 
nations were wearied and groaned beneath the weight of 
Roman oppression; the Greek culture had failed to bring 
satisfaction to the hearts of men, and the religion of the 
Hebrews had not given spiritual rest even to the Jews 
themselves, much less to the nations. 

An individual illustration is seen in Simeon (Luke 1) 
who, while longing to die, had been assured that death 
should not overtake him until he had seen the Lord’s 
Christ. So on every hand a spirit of expectancy was 
manifest—people were looking and waiting for the Con¬ 
solation of Israel. 

Coming events cast their shadows before them. It is 
not strange, therefore, that there should have been pre- 


14 


IOTRODUCTION 


monitions of Christ’s coming. One who lived at the 
time of the Reformation vividly portrays the unrest and 
alarm felt in all Europe on the eve of the outbreak of 
Protestantism; 44 distress abounded, lawlessness prevailed, 
unbelief was rampant and the whole world was in travail 
with some great evil.” It proved then to be God’s way 
of speaking to the race regarding Christ’s First Com¬ 
ing. Why may not the present consciousness indicate a 
like purpose regarding the Second Coming of Christ? 
May this not be 44 the day of our visitation” and we 
know it not? 


I 


THE CRISIS DEFINED 

W HAT, most likely, will this impending crisis 
be? Various answers will be given to this 
question, each in accordance with the indi¬ 
vidual or specific viewpoint. To the political economist 
it will be one thing; to the socialist, politician, and mili¬ 
tarist, quite another. Some maintain that it will issue 
in “the brotherhood of man, and the federation of the 
world.’ ’ 

Shall we venture the opinion that all such views of 
the imminent World-Crisis are erroneous and doomed to 
failure? To the Scripturally-instructed Christian there 
can be but one answer to the question:—What will be 
the nature of the coming World-Crisis, that one “divine, 
far-off event toward which the whole creation moves”? 
It must be, it is the coming again of our great God and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself the reins 
of the government of the world : it is the breaking of 
that day in which ‘ ‘ the kingdoms of this world shall be¬ 
come the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ.” We 
are living in “ the last days”; it is “the last time”; we 
are approaching the “end of the days”; we are on the 
eve of the “consummation of the age.” It is “the last 
hour . 9 ’ 

The probation of the race is destined to end. God 
has tried the race first by individuals, such as the 
patriarchs—Adam and Noah; and it was a sad failure. 
He then tried the race in and by the choice of a nation, 

15 


16 


THE COMING KING 


the Jew—in Abraham—a nation elected to be a channel 
of blessing to the whole world; that, too, was a dismal 
failure, as the treacherous and sad history of the Jew 
abundantly shows. God then put the reins of govern¬ 
ment into the hands of the nations themselves (the Gen¬ 
tile powers) to see what they could do. Gentile domin¬ 
ion has proven itself an inglorious failure as the last 
world war and death-grapple between the greatest and 
most cultured nations of all the Gentile powers so 
brutally demonstrated. “The times of the Gentiles" 
may soon end. What is left for God to do? Patriarch, 
Jew, Gentile—all have failed. There is but one thing 
now to be done, and that is for the Son of God Himself 
to come and take the reins of government; for God's 
chosen King to reign over the peoples of the earth. Then, 
and not until then, shall the words of the prophet Isaiah 
be fulfilled: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, 
that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be estab¬ 
lished in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted 
above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And 
many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go 
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God 
of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will 
walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the 
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he 
shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many 
people: and they shall beat their swords into plough¬ 
shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall 
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn 
war any more " (2:2-4). These shall be “the days of 
the Son of Man," “the times of the restitution of all 
things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his 
holy prophets since the world began " (Acts 3: 21). 






THE CRISIS DEFINED 


17 


This universal unrest, this world-wide, indefinable 
yearning for something that cannot very well be ex¬ 
plicitly expressed is much like that world-wide hunger, 
that universal and yet indescribable feeling that some 
great crisis was at hand, that preceded the first coming 
of our Lord into this world. It was “in the fullness of 
time” that He came. It was just at the time when the 
Hebrew with his religion, the Greek with his culture and 
philosophy, and the Roman with his almost superhuman 
power of organization—all, had failed to satisfy the 
needs of the race, and the heart of universal humanity 
cried out pitifully for something—for the ‘ * living God, ’ 9 
although it knew it not. Yes, it was “when we were yet 
without strength,” that, “in due time,” the Christ came 
into the world to suffer and die for its sin. So shall it 
be with regard to His Second Coming into this world to 
rule and reign. 


Danger of Prejudice 

Is there not a very real danger, think you, that the 
Church of Christ shall make the same mistake with re¬ 
gard to His Second Coming that the Jew made with re¬ 
gard to His First Coming, and in consequence of which 
that nation has suffered so grievously and so long? 
There is no more seeming probability of the fulfillment 
of events said to precede the Second Coming of Christ 
than of those connected with His First Coming. 

Nor should prejudice or bias arising from the crude 
and grotesque absurdities which many deluded adherents 
of the teaching have thrown around the “Blessed Hope” 
make us unwilling to investigate and make earnest in¬ 
quiry into this glorious doctrine, which, to a greater or 
less extent, has been the blessed outlook of the believer 


18 


THE COMING KING 


in all the ages since “the promise of his coming” was 
given by the departing Master Himself. There are 
certain unanswerable reasons why the sincere seeker after 
truth will not close his eyes or ears to this matter. Coun¬ 
terfeiters there are, and always have been. It is never¬ 
theless incumbent upon us to search for the true and 
genuine. Errorists there are, and always will be—they 
are predicted until the time of the end. It is all the 
more necessary for the believer, therefore, that he give 
such time and thought as shall enable him to distinguish 
between the truth and error. Faddists will always be in 
vogue, but they should not keep us from maintaining 
sober views of the truth. 


II 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 

T HAT Jesus Christ is coming again to this earth 
to take the reins of government until the king¬ 
dom of this world become the kingdoms of our 
Lord and His Christ, is certain. 

Differences of opinion there may be with regard to cer¬ 
tain phases and details of the Second Coming of Christ, 
but there has always been unanimity of belief within the 
Church during all the Christian centuries with regard 
to the great fact itself. That Jesus Christ will some day 
be “King of kings and Lord of lords”—this doctrine 
the Christian Church has always firmly adhered to. 

1 . Corroboration of the Fact. 

(a) This fact is clearly taught in the Scriptures. 

The prominence given by the inspired writers to the 
doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ is really sur¬ 
prising. Some have gone so far as to say that more space 
is given to it than to the doctrine of the atonement, and 
aver that where salvation by atonement is mentioned 
once, the Second Advent is referred to twice. Where the 
first coming of Christ is mentioned once, that of His 
Second Coming is mentioned eight times. Of the twenty- 
seven books in the New Testament, all but four of them 
refer to it. One out of every twenty-five verses in the 
New Testament refers to the Second Coming. Over half 
a hundred times in the twenty-seven books of the New 

19 


20 


THE COMING KING 


Testament are we exhorted to “watch” and “be ready” 
for such a “blessed hope.” Entire chapters, such as 
Matthew 24 and 25; Luke 21; Mark 13 are devoted to 
this subject, as are whole books, such as 1 and 2 Thessa- 
lonians and Revelation. It is an interesting fact that 
each chapter of the first epistle to the Thessalonians 
closes with a reference to the Second Advent (1:10; 
2:19; 3:13; 4:14-18; 5:23). In the 216 chapters of 
the New Testament, it is said there are 318 references to 
this doctrine. 

The doctrine of the Lord’s supper is mentioned in 
only four of the twenty-seven books of the New Testa¬ 
ment, and, indeed, if you consider the references in the 
Synoptic Gospels as being equivalent to one mention, 
then it is referred to in the Gospels once and in only one 
of Paul’s epistles (1 Cor.). Even in this Pauline men¬ 
tion it is interesting to note that the Second Advent is 
referred to in connection with the Communion: ‘ ‘ For as 
often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye pro¬ 
claim the Lord’s death—till he come ” (1 Cor. 11:27; 
Matt. 26:29; Mark 11:25; Luke 22:16-18). Baptism 
is referred to fifteen times in the Pauline epistles, 
whereas the Second Coming is mentioned fifty times. In 
all his epistles (save Galatians and Philemon) does Paul 
make mention of this doctrine. 

A question naturally arises in view of these facts: 
Does the doctrine of the Lord’s Second Coming receive 
the prominence in our preaching, teaching and conver¬ 
sation commensurate with the place given it in the Scrip¬ 
tures of the New Testament? 1 If not, why not? Would 

1 Of course we should remember that this prominence is to the 
doctrine of the Second Coming in general, and not to any par¬ 
ticular view of it such as “ pre ” or “ post.” 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


21 


it not seem fair to assert that a doctrine so prominently 
set forth in the Scriptures demands that the preaching 
and teaching of the Second Coming of Christ occupy a 
larger place in the pulpit, classroom and study? Why 
should we not insist that first things be put first, and that 
the things which the Scriptures most emphasize shall be 
made most prominent by those who occupy the position 
of exponents of the things written therein? Was it not 
the insistence of such men as Martin Luther, the hero 
of the Reformation, that resulted in the bringing into 
prominence of the glorious doctrine of “Justification 
by Faith,” a doctrine which, while so prominent in the 
Scriptures, had yet been hidden for so many centuries 
by the indolence and insincerity of a cold and dead 
church? If the ministry of the Church is silent on the 
doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ, why should 
not the membership rise and demand that the pulpit give 
this doctrine the place of prominence accorded it by the 
sacred writers? If professors in the divinity schools 
neglect this phase of the Church’s Christian conscious¬ 
ness throughout the centuries, why should not the di¬ 
vinity students who are preparing themselves to declare 
“the whole counsel of God” demand that the “whole” 
and not a part of the counsel of God be declared unto 
them ? It would not be the first time the pew has spoken 
back to the pulpit and the student to the teacher—and 
with great profit and blessing in both cases, and not for 
pulpit and classroom only, but for the world. If promi¬ 
nence is the law of emphasis, and it is, then let us put 
the emphasis in our preaching and teaching where it 
rightly belongs—on the great and blessed hope of the 
Church (Titus 2:13) held out by the sacred Scriptures 
themselves: the one great event for which the Church of 


22 


THE COMING KING 


Christ is commanded to look—the Coming Again of the 
Lord Jesus. 

( b ) The same prophets that spoke of Christ’s first 
coming speak with equal clearness of His second advent 
into the world. 

It is said that prophecy occupies one-fifth of the Scrip¬ 
ture and the Second Advent occupies one-third of 
prophecy. It is as old as Genesis 3:15—and so is the 
oldest prophecy in the Bible. (See also Enoch, Jude 15.) 

Peter, for example, in referring to this matter, says: 
“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and 
searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that 
should come unto you: searching what, or what manner 
of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did sig¬ 
nify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of 
Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom 
it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us 
they did minister the things, which are now reported 
unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto 
you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which 
things the angels desire to look into” (1 Pet. 1:10-12; 
see also Acts 3:19-24). 

It was Sir Isaac Newton, that prince of philosophers, 
who said, in his book on “Prophecies in Daniel,” “There 
is scarcely a prophecy in the Old Testament that does 
not in some way or other relate to the Second Coming.* * 

The messages of the prophets were received and ac¬ 
knowledged by the Jews to be from God. They misun¬ 
derstood them, however. The Jews were so taken up 
with “the glory that should follow” that they over¬ 
looked “the sufferings of Christ (which were identified 
with His first coming) of which the prophets had be¬ 
forehand testified.” As a consequence of this wrong 


THE CERTAINTY OP THE CRISIS 


23 


attitude they rejected their “meek and lowly’’ Messiah 
when He came (John 1:46; 9:29; Matt. 13:55; Mark 
6:3; Isa. 53:4, 5). They also changed the interpreta¬ 
tion of Isaiah 53, which depicts Christ as the suffering 
Messiah, and made it refer to the nation suffering under 
the rod of God’s severe chastisement. 

Is there not a similar danger to-day of overlooking 
or misinterpreting those Scriptures which deal with the 
Second Coming of Christ to harmonize with our own 
preconceived ideas of that event? How careful Christ 
was in dealing with the Scriptures referring to this mat¬ 
ter! Note, if you will, the pause He makes in quoting 
from Isaiah 61:1, 2, when reading and interpreting this 
Scripture in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:14-20). 
He read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because 
he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; 
he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach de¬ 
liverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the 
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach 
the acceptable year of the Lord”—then He stopped; al¬ 
though the prophecy of Isaiah continues with the words, 
“and the day of vengeance of our God.” Why did 
Christ omit these eight words? Because He was “rightly 
dividing the ivord of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). These 
words had to do with Christ’s Second Coming to judge 
the world, and with that He was not just then con¬ 
cerned. His first mission was not to “judge” but to 
“save” men (John 3:17). Similar care should be ex¬ 
ercised by us with regard to the interpretation of those 
Scriptures dealing with Christ’s Coming Again to this 
world. The prophetic word with regard to His First 
Coming was fulfilled to the letter, so will the Scriptures 
dealing with His Second Coming. 


24 


THE COMING KING 


How minute and specific were the prophetic declara¬ 
tions regarding Christ’s first coming! He was to be of 
“the seed of the woman” (Gen. 3:15, cf. Gal. 4:4; 
Matt. 1:18; Luke 1: 35) ; of the promised seed of Abra¬ 
ham (Gen. 12:3; 17:1-22, cf. Matt. 1:1); of the royal 
line of David (2 Sam. 7:12-29, cf. Matt. 1:1; 22:42- 
45); to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5: 2, cf. Matt. 2:1- 
10) ; of Judah (Gen. 49:10, cf. Matt. 2:5), and of a 
virgin (Isa. 7:14-9: 6, cf. Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1: 26- 
38); gifts were to be presented to Him (Psa. 72:10, cf. 
Matt. 2:11) ; one of His own followers should betray 
Him (Psa. 41: 9, cf. John 13:2, 18-27) ; that His death 
should be by piercing (crucifixion) although stoning was, 
then, and even in our Lord’s day, the Jewish method 
of putting people to death (Isa. 53:5; literally, 4 4 He 
was pierced for our iniquities ’ ’; Zech. 12:10; Psa. 
22:16: “They pierced my hands and my feet”). Even 
the casting of lots upon His garments is predicted (Psa. 
22:18, cf. John 19:23, 24). One might go on adding 
to the list of specific predictions regarding Christ’s First 
Coming and show how minutely and to the very letter 
they were fulfilled. 

The late Dr. H. Grattan Guinness asks, “Could the 
Jews of the Old Testament conceive the state of things 
now existing in the Gospel dispensation? God dwelling 
in the hearts of men . . . national distinctions 
abolished . . . Gentiles more highly privileged than 
Jews; religion independent of external observances; and 
the Law replaced by the Gospel. . . . How could 

the Everlasting Father become a Child? . . . How 
could David’s Son be David’s Lord? Above all, How 
could Messiah be ‘exalted, extolled and very high/ and 
at the same time be ‘despised and rejected, bruised, 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


25 


stricken, smitten and laid in a grave?’ Messianic 
prophecy (touching the First Advent) has all been ful¬ 
filled; and the facts of Gospel history shed back upon 
the ancient predictions such clear light that to us they 
present little or no perplexity! So shall future fulfill¬ 
ments explain all that now seems dark and difficult in 
millennial prediction. Its difficulties are not as great as 
those involved in the doctrine of the Resurrection, which 
is held by all Christians . . . (difficulties being no 
reason for rejecting). Why, then, should the slighter 
difficulties attending statements of Scripture as to the 
future kingdom make us hesitate to receive them? ” 

Why should not the predictions of the prophets and 
apostles regarding Christ’s Second Coming be with equal 
minuteness fulfilled? We have no more occasion for 
doubting the one than the other, and all the reason for 
believing why they should both be accepted as equally 
true and certain of fulfillment. Did not Jesus upbraid 
the disciples for not believing what the prophets had 
spoken with reference to his First Coming into the world 
to die for its sin (Luke 24:25-27: “0, fools and slow 
of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken”) ? 
May we not be equally culpable and worthy of censure 
for not accepting all that the Scriptures say with re¬ 
gard to Christ’s Second Coming into the world to rule 
and reign? The prophets, then, have borne clear and 
distinct testimony to this great world-crisis. “ Believest 
thou the prophets?” “Repent ye, therefore, and be 
converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the 
times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the 
Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was 
preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until 
the times of restitution of all things, which God hath 


26 


THE COMING KING 


spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the 
world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A 
prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of 
your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all 
things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall 
come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that 
prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, 
and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow 
after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold 
of these days” (Acts 3:19-24). 

It should not be overlooked in this connection that 
the fulfillment of prophecy absolutely necessitates the 
Second Coming of Christ. For instance, the first prom¬ 
ise of redemption, as made to our first parents after 
their fall, is Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity be¬ 
tween thee and the woman, and between thy seed and 
her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise 
his heel.” Here we are distinctly told that the coming 
Redeemer should be human—“the seed of the woman.” 
This necessitated the incarnation for its historic fulfill¬ 
ment. Satan is described as 11 bruising his heel, ’ ’ that is 
to say, Satan should attack the Redeemer and bruise 
Him to some extent. This we know took place at the 
Cross, so we may say that the promise in Genesis neces¬ 
sitated the sufferings and death of Christ, and that, in 
turn, made His First Coming absolutely necessary (Heb. 
2:14). 

But something more is involved in that first redemp¬ 
tive word to sinful man—there is the glorious truth that 
the Redeemer should “bruise Satan’s head,” that is to 
say, deal him a death blow. This the Redeemer has not 
yet done. All the rest of the promise has been fulfilled. 
The Christ came, suffered, died, rose again and ascended 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


27 


into heaven. Bnt Satan is still active and ruling in 
many ways. His defeat is not yet a finally accomplished 
thing. But it must be. It is necessary, therefore, that 
Christ come again and finish actually, as He has done 
potentially, the redemptive work and put Satan com¬ 
pletely out of the way. And is not this one of the things 
to be accomplished at the coming of Christ? Is not 
“Satan to be bruised shortly'’ under our feet? (Rom. 
16: 20). Does not the Christ, when He shall come again, 
cast Satan into the bottomless pit and shut him up, finally 
casting him into the lake of fire there to remain forever 
(Rev. 20:10)? 

Perhaps it might be well to say, in this connection, 
that the typical (as well as the prophetical) teaching of 
the Bible, absolutely necessitates the Coming again of 
Jesus Christ to complete His redemptive work. Take an 
illustration from the work of the high priest (as de¬ 
scribed in Heb. 9:14-28). The work of the high priest 
was to offer up a sacrifice for himself and the people, 
then to take that blood into the most holy place and 
there offer it as atonement for the people. The people 
on the outside anxiously awaited the coming out of the 
high priest in order that they might be assured that 
their offering had been accepted. We may recall in this 
connection how distressed the people were when Zech- 
arias (Luke 1) seemed to tarry so long time in the holy 
place; they feared something had happened to him. The 
work of the high priest was not completed until he ap¬ 
peared to them again. So is it with our Lord Jesus 
Christ. While He had no need to offer for Himself, He 
did make an offering of Himself without blemish and 
spot unto God for the sins of the people. After He had 
died upon the cross, He ascended into the heavens, into 


28 


THE COMING KING 


the most holy place, into the very presence of God to 
present the blood of His atonement in our behalf. He 
still is there. But in order to fulfill the type of the high 
priest, He must come out of the most holy place and 
consummate his redemptive work. This He will do 
when He shall appear the second time without sin unto 
salvation. So “once in the end of the age did he ap¬ 
pear to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. . . . 

For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, 
like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now 
to appear before the face of God for us. . . . So 

Christ shall appear the second time, apart from sin, to 
them that wait for him, unto salvation ” (Heb. 9:19- 
28). 

(c) Jesus Christ Himself taught in clear and unmis¬ 
takable language His Coming again to the earth as its 
King. 

Not only in those wonderful words of comfort as found 
in John 14:1-3 (“Let not your heart be troubled; ye be¬ 
lieve in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house 
are many mansions; if it w r ere not so I would have told 
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and 
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive 
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be 
also”), but also in many other places in the Gospels does 
Jesus refer to this great World-Crisis—His Coming 
Again; for example, He devotes whole chapters, such as 
Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, as well as 
shorter references scattered throughout the four Gospels 
(cf. also Luke 17:20-37; 19:11-27), to the discussion of 
the subject. 

That so large an amount of space should be devoted 
to this one theme is worthy of note, especially when we 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


29 


understand the term the inspiration of selection , which 
means that only those events, words, teachings, parables, 
etc., in the life of our Lord which were vital to the re¬ 
demptive scheme are recorded in the Gospel records. 
John distinctly states this to be the case: “And many 
other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his dis¬ 
ciples, which are not written in this book: but these are 
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life 
through his name” (20:30, 31). “And there are also 
many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they 
should be written every one, I suppose that even the 
world itself could not contain the books that should be 
written. Amen ” (21: 25). 

This fact surely reveals to us what place this great 
subject had in the consciousness of Jesus Himself—and 
that is something of vital moment to us, for what was 
important to the Church’s Master, must be equally im¬ 
portant to the Church itself. That this truth occupied 
so large a place in the teaching of the Redeemer should 
surely mean that it should occupy no less a place in the 
appreciation of the redeemed and in the Gospel which 
the Church is called upon to preach. What was primary 
to the Christ must not be secondary to the Church, the 
pastor, and the Christian. These things are sure and 
certain: “If it were not so, I would have told you,” or, 
perhaps with a little different punctuation, “If it were 
not so, would I have told you?” “Did I ever tell you 
anything that was not true ? ’ ’ 

( d) Angelic testimony is added to that of the Prophets 
and the teaching of our Lord Himself. 

The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews lays special 
stress on the trustworthiness of the testimony of angels. 


30 


THE COMING KING 


He speaks of it as being “steadfast” (2:2), for angels 
are “ministering spirits,” the very mouthpiece of God 
(1:14). Everything the angels, who were the annuncia¬ 
tors of Christ’s First Coming, said about that Coming, 
was true. Of this there can be no doubt. Angels were 
the companions of Christ in the glory. They brought 
the news to waiting shepherds on Bethlehem plains that 
the Saviour had come. They were with Him in His 
struggles in the wilderness (Matt. 4) and in Gethsemane 
(Luke 22). They announced to the women that the 
Christ had “risen from the dead” (John 20). They 
were present at the Ascension (Acts 1:10, 11). They 
are to accompany Christ when He shall come again to 
judge the world (Mark 8:38; Matt. 13:39; 2 Thess. 
1:7, 8). 

What is the angelic testimony regarding the Second 
Coming of Christ? Acts 1:10, 11 is the answer: “And 
while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went 
up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing 
up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up 
from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as 
ye have seen him go into heaven.” These words are 
capable of no other interpretation than that the same 
Jesus the disciples were beholding vanishing from their 
wondering view would again come to the earth as they 
had seen Him leave it. One does not wonder that Peter, 
after witnessing this sight and listening to the angelic 
testimony, went out and preached the “Christ whom 
the heavens must receive until the time of the restitution 
of all things” (Acts 3: 21). 

Nor is this passage in the Acts of the Apostles the 
only angelic word regarding the Second Coming of 


THE CERTAINTY OP THE CRISIS 


31 


Christ. Is not the entire Book of the Revelation a mes¬ 
sage “sent and signified by his angel unto his servant 
John” (1:1)? “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and 
every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced 
him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of 
him” (1:7), are the words with which the book opens , 
and “Surely I come quickly. Amen, even so, come Lord 
Jesus” (22: 20), is the prayer with which it closes. And 
is not all that lies between these opening and closing 
words of the book a graphic and dramatic portrayal of 
the events connected with and accompanying the great 
and glorious Coming of the Lord Jesus as King of kings 
and Lord of lords (see e. g. 2: 5, 16, 25; 3: 3, 11; 11:17; 
12 : 10 , 11 ). 

“If the word spoken by angels was steadfast . . . 
how shall we escape” if we ignore their testimony and 
live as though they had not spoken to us the word of 
God? (Heb. 2:1-3). A blessing is pronounced upon 
those who receive their testimony (Rev. 1:3) and 
a curse upon those who do not (22:18, 19). And, mark 
you, this blessing and curse is in connection with the 
testimony regarding the glorious Advent of our Lord 
inasmuch as this is the theme of the entire book of Reve¬ 
lation (cf. 1:7; 11:15-17; 22:7, 12, 20). 

(e) The Apostles of our Lord Jesus bore unswerving 
testimony to the great fact of His Coming Again. 

We should recall, ere we ponder the teachings of the 
Apostles that to them was promised, by the Lord Him¬ 
self, a special anointing and enduement of the Holy 
Spirit, fitting them to record the truth of God. It was 
“the Spirit of Truth” Who should “guide them into 
all the truth,” “show them things to come,” and “bring 
to their remembrance whatsoever things he (Jesus) had 


32 


THE COMING KING 


said to them” (John 14:26; 15:26, 27; 16:13-15; 
Matt. 10:19, 29; Luke 12:11, 12, cf. Acts 4:8; 13:9; 

1 Cor. 14:37). Now, what testimony do these Spirit- 
filled, Spirit-equipped men give on this important sub¬ 
ject? 

The sermons of Peter are filled with references to the 
Coming Again of the Lord, as a consideration of Acts 

2 and 3 will show. In his epistles, also, does Peter em¬ 
phasize this doctrine (see first epistle: 1:5, 7, 11, 13; 
4:7, 13; 5:4; second epistle, 1:16-19; 3:3, 4, 7-10, 12, 
14). Peter never forgot the vision of the Transfigura¬ 
tion and its relation to the Second Coming. It formed 
the inspiration of his faith and services while waiting 
for the chief Shepherd to appear, meanwhile rejoicing 
with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 

Two of Paul’s epistles (1 and 2 Thess.) deal almost 
exclusively with the doctrine of the Second Coming of 
Christ from the viewpoint of both comfort and warning, 
respectively; see especially 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:19; 
3:13; 4:14-18; 5: 23; 2 Thessalonians 1: 7-10; 2:1-11. 
References to the doctrine abound in his other epistles, 
for example: Romans 2:16; 8:18, 19-23; 11:25, 26; 

13:11, 12; 1 Corinthians 1:7, 8; 5:5; 2 Corinthians 
5:1-10; Philippians 1:6; 3:21; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 
Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:13 and other places. 

How could the Apostle John ever forget the words of 
Jesus to him: “If I will that he (referring to John 
himself) tarry till I come” (John 21:22)! To this 
coming John refers in his account of the upper-room 
discourse (chaps. 14-17). In his epistles the Apostle 
places the Coming of Christ before his readers: cf. 
“That, when he shall appear, we may have confidence^ 
and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (2: 28) ; 


v 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


33 


“But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be 
like him” (3:2). Reference has already been made to 
the fact that the book of Revelation is devoted to the 
great doctrine of our Lord’s Second Coming (cf. 1:7; 
11:15-17; 22:7, 12, 20). 

One might briefly mention the reference to this 
“blessed hope” as found in the epistles of James and 
Jude. “Be patient therefore, brethren, until the com¬ 
ing of the Lord. ... Be ye also patient; establish 
your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 

. . . Behold the judge standeth before the door” 

(James 5:7-9). “Behold the Lord cometh with ten 
thousand of his saints. . . . Looking for the mercy 

of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. . . . 

Now unto him that is able to set you before the pres¬ 
ence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 14, 21, 24). 
So speak these brethren of the Lord. 

(/) The Apostolic and early Christian Church for 
many centuries after its founding believed in and taught 
the doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 

This should not be surprising to us when we remember 
it was the doctrine held out by the apostles as the great 
“hope” of the Church: “Looking for that blessed hope, 
and the glorious appearing of our great God and our 
Saviour Jesus Christ ’ ’ (Titus 2:13). “ Looking for and 
earnestly desiring (hastening) the coming of the day of 
God” (2 Pet. 3:12). What could be a greater incentive 
to holiness and faithfulness in service than this glorious 
attitude of looking for the Lord (cf. Matt. 22:44-46; 
Luke 21: 34—36; 1 John 2: 28; 3:3)? 

Dr. Fisher, professor of Ecclesiastical History in Yale 
University, in his book on “History of Christian Doc¬ 
trine,” page 37, says: “That an Apostolic faith 



34 


THE COMING KING 


the second coming of Christ is looked upon as an event 
not remote .’’ 

Professor Ropes, expert in New Testament Criticism, 
of Harvard University, who is one of the contributors to 
the International Critical Commentary, in his work on 
“The Church in the Apostolic Age,” pages 165, 172, 175, 
speaks of the “marked emphasis seen in the Gospels on 
the idea of the speedy coming of Christ,” and refers to 
it as “a belief that was universally cherished” and “that 
St. Paul looked for the reappearance of Christ.” 

“It was the hope,” says Professor Denny, “that more 
than anything else gave colour to the primitive Chris¬ 
tianity, its unworldliness, its moral intensity, its com¬ 
mand of the future even in his life. That attitude of 
expectation is the bloom, as it were, of the Christian 
character. Without it there is something lacking; the 
Christian who does not look upward and onward wants 
one mark of perfection. ’ ’ Dr. Denny may say, in almost 
the same breath, that the early Church was mistaken in 
its interpretation, but that it heartily held to the doc¬ 
trine of the Second Coming there can be no question, 
even from his own words. There can be no doubt of the 
fact that it was the faith of the early Church in this 
doctrine that inspired the apostolic and early Christian 
faith and activity. As another has well said: “It was 
not the hope of the capture of the Roman Empire for 
Christ; it was not the assurance that the principles of 
Christ would become dominant in society that upheld 
and encouraged the apostles, prophets, martyrs, saints, 
in their conflict with principalities and powers. They 
knew the Gospel far too well to be deluded by an easy 
optimism which too often forms the rhetorical flourish to 
a missionary sermon when we are bidden to look for- 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


35 


ward to the time when the earth shall be filled with the 
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. That 
shall be so—but when the Lord comes, not before. Is 
our Christianity the Christianity of Paul? Is his hope 
our hope ? Is our belief in the cause of the Christ meas¬ 
ured by its obvious success, or are we in the very spirit of 
Christ’s commission ready to preach the Gospel through¬ 
out the whole world for a witness and testimony, looking 
for the fulfillment of the accompanying promise: that 
“then shall the end come”? Are we “zealous of good 
works,” etc., because, as according to Titus, we are a 
people who are “looking for the glorious appearing of 
our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ”? It is for 
this reason that the attitude of the true Church is de¬ 
scribed as: “having turned from idols, to serve the living 
and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven.” 
(See 1 Thess. 1: 9,10.) 

It was the joy of this doctrine “that turned the lonely 
rook of the dark catacomb into the antechamber of 
heaven.” Too often, and erroneously, is this doctrine 
looked upon as one of dread and fear, rather than of 
hope and joy. 

There can be no question that Jesus left the disciples 
“looking for him” (Acts 1:10, 11, R. V.). The Church 
was put in a “waiting attitude” (Titus 2:13). Jesus 
expected to find the Church “looking for him” on His 
return (Luke 12:35-40; cf. Heb. 9:28). The pity is 
that the Church ever left that watching, waiting, looking 
attitude. 

The early Christian Church believed in and ardently 
longed for the coming of Christ to overthrow the powers 
of evil and paganism as represented by the Roman Em¬ 
pire, and that He might reign victorious in lands over 


36 


THE COMING KING 


which Caesar’s eagles had never flown. In speaking of 
the wonderful and victorious march of the Church dur¬ 
ing these early centuries, we must not fail to recognize 
that the dynamic and motive power of it all lay in the 
Church’s conception of a Christ, not only present with 
them in spirit and energy, but also Who might at any 
moment rend the heavens and come down to take to 
Himself the reins of world government. Even Shaler 
Matthews, of the University of Chicago, admits this. He 
says: “The early Christians believed that Jesus would 
return during the lifetime of their generation. This 
hope is on almost every page of the New Testament 
(Italics ours). Of course Shaler Matthews believes the 
New Testament writers and early Christians were mis¬ 
taken in this expectation. But that the truth of the 
return of the Lord Jesus is taught “on almost every 
page of the New Testament” is admitted even by this 
severe critic of the doctrine. Even Dr. Snowden, whose 
book against the Premillennial Coming of Christ is said to 
rank among the best on that side of the question, says, 
“So the Second Coming is the sunrise hope of the New 
Testament. This blessed hope of His return over¬ 
reaches the lengthening day in which we live and work, 
and is the golden link that binds His first with His 
second coming. This is that ‘blessed hope’ which has 
been cherished through all the Christian centuries and 
which gives final value to the reign of Christ and the 
kingdom of God” (pp. 1-4, “The Coming of the Lord”). 
This same author further speaks of the Second Coming 
as “the star that leads us on and lifts us up during our 
earthly pilgrimage and journey.” 

One whose writings assail the belief in the Second 
Coming of Christ is compelled by Scriptural evidence to 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


37 


say: “Nearly every New Testament writer looked for 
the return of the Lord to establish His kingdom in un¬ 
disputed and universal sway. Of this there can be no 
reasonable doubt. That the early Christians did in one 
form or another believe in a coming reign of Christ on 
earth is a simple fact of history. This fact must be ac¬ 
cepted as such, however it is explained. It cannot be 
explained away. Intellectual honesty forbids us to take 
refuge in a process of spiritualizing those passages which 
record the hope. Those passages meant what they said. 
The grounds of this expectation provide matter for in¬ 
quiry. But the fact of the expectation must be ad¬ 
mitted by all. ,, Of course, such a writer, needless to 
say, maintains that the writers of the New Testament 
and the belief of the early Church was erroneous. He 
says: “Days came and went yet things remained sub¬ 
stantially as they had been. The skies were not cleft 
nor did the graves open. Toward the close of the first 
century Christians felt a growing anxiety and a deep 
perplexity such as Christians feel to-day. Were the 
early teachers and writers mistaken? they asked. They 
had been told that Jesus would return and He had not 
thus returned. But they were confronted with the fact 
that there had been no such return as was promised. 
The situation could not be ignored—something must be 
done. . . . Then it was that another presentation of 

the Gospel was provided. . . . Mistakes had to be 
acknowledged bravely. ’ 11 

That the above writer does not portray the true at¬ 
titude of the early Christian Church is evident. Later 

1 J. Albert Moore, in a series of pamphlets issued by Board of 
Evangelism and Social Service of the Methodist Church, Nos. 

73 , 74 - 


38 


THE COMING KING 


on in this volume, in its proper place, we will refer again 
to this matter. We are using the quotation here to show 
that even opponents of the doctrine are compelled to 
admit that it was the prevalent belief of the New Testa¬ 
ment Christians. 

For the first three centuries at least the doctrine of 
the Second Coming of Christ held undisputed sway in 
the Christian Church. History verifies and proves this 
statement. It is a fact beyond cavil or dispute. Not 
until Origen introduced his allegorical method of inter¬ 
preting the Scriptures was there the slightest question 
regarding the faith of the early Church in this doctrine. 
Only at this time is there any intimation, judging from 
the absence of reference to it in some of the creeds, prin¬ 
cipally the Roman creed, that the doctrine had to any 
extent lost hold on the faith of the early Church in even 
the slightest degree. And it should be said in this con¬ 
nection that even in the darkest days of the Church's 
deepest apostasy there has always been a remnant within 
the Church that stoutly maintained faith in the doctrine 
of the Lord's Coming. Such historians as Schaff, Gib¬ 
bon, Mosheim all bear witness to this fact. Mosheim says, 
“The prevailing opinion that Christ was to come and 
reign a thousand years among men before the final dis¬ 
solution of the world, had met with no opposition pre¬ 
vious to the time of Origen." 

(g) The Apostolic Fathers—some of whom were bosom 
companions of the Apostles themselves—stoutly main¬ 
tained their faith in the Second Coming of Christ. 

It seems reasonable to say that those who were nearest 
to the source of things should know better than those 
removed from that point by many, many centuries. It 
was Tertullian who said: “Whatever is first is true; 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


39 


whatever is later is adulterated.” The Apostolic Fa¬ 
thers, therefore, because they were so near to the source 
of things, should have a more authoritative word on the 
subject, especially if their testimony is corroborated by 
the testimony of Scripture, than the word of modern 
critics of this doctrine. 

Barnabas (71 a. d.) cf. Acts 4:36, refers to the Sec¬ 
ond Coming quite often in his writings. 

Clement (95 a. d.) says, 4 ‘Of a truth soon and sud¬ 
denly shall He come. . . . Let us be followers of 
those who went about preaching the coming of Christ. 
. . . Let us every hour expect His coming kingdom 

. . . because we know not the day of His appear¬ 
ing.” 

The Shepherd of Hermas (100 a. d.), cf. Romans 
16:14, as also Poly carp, the intimate disciple of the 
Apostle John, both speak frequently of the Coming 
Again of Christ. 

Space will not permit copious references from the 
writings of these men. The reader is referred to a book, 
entitled, “The Lord’s Return,” by Silver, in which this 
and very much more information of a kindred nature 
may be readily found. It is a book well worth adding 
to one ’s library. 

Can we overestimate, think you, the value of such 
testimony, coming as it does from so valuable a source 
and from men who were so near the fountain-head of 
truth ? It was John Wesley, ‘ ‘ the father of Methodism, ’ 9 
who said of such testimony, that it was “the pure and 
uncorrupted doctrine of Christ.” “History has no con¬ 
sensus of testimony more unanimous for any doctrine 
or fact than that of the Apostolic Fathers for the pre- 
millennial advent of Christ.” 


40 


THE COMING KING 


‘ i The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium 
was carefully inculcated by a succession of Fathers from 
Justin Martyr and Irenasus, who conversed with the im¬ 
mediate disciples of the apostles, down to Lactantius who 
was the preceptor of the son of Constantine. It appears 
to have been the reigning sentiment of orthodox believ¬ 
ers. ’ ’ 

“It cannot be denied that for three centuries the 
Church believed the doctrine of the premillennial com¬ 
ing of Christ. I think I have gone through all the writ¬ 
ings of the Fathers for three centuries and I do not 
know of a single exception unless it be Origen.”—Dr. 
Grattan Guinness. 

‘ * That the Lord will come in person to this our earth; 
that His risen elect will reign here with Him and judge; 
that during that blessed reign the power of evil will be 
bound and the glorious prophecies of peace and truth on 
earth find their accomplishment—this is my firm per¬ 
suasion, and not mine alone, but that of multitudes of 
Christ’s waiting people as it was of the Primi¬ 
tive Apostolic Church before controversy blinded the 
eyes of the fathers to the light of prophecy.”—Dean 
Alford. 

(h) The Nicene Fathers bore testimony to their faith 
in the Second Coming of Christ. (See Silver again.) 

The Montanists were banished from Rome because of 
their testimony regarding the speedy coming of our 
Saviour and the deep spirituality of their lives as con¬ 
trasted with the worldliness of the Church of that day. 
Wesley says of Montanus, “He was one of the best men 
upon the earth,” and that “the Montanists of the sec¬ 
ond and third centuries were real Scriptural Christians. ’ ’ 
Mark you, this is the testimony of the “father of Method - 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


41 

ism,” who, himself, it is claimed, was a believer in the 
premillennial Second Coming of our Lord. 

That the premillennial doctrine of the Coming of our 
Lord was the accepted belief and doctrine of the Council 
of Nice (325 a. d.) even Daniel Whitby, the father of 
postmillennialism, admits. 

When the Roman Catholic Church came into the place 
of supremacy conceded to it at the Synod of Sordica 
(345 a. d.) then the doctrine of the Second Coming of 
Christ began to be fiercely attacked. The state of li¬ 
centiousness and immorality into which both the priests 
and laity, but particularly the priesthood, had fallen, 
forced silence with regard to a doctrine, the very essence 
of belief and confession of which called, first and fore¬ 
most, for purity: ‘ * Every man that hath this hope set on 
him purifieth himself even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). 
It was natural, therefore, that in the midst of such gross 
immorality the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ 
should decline. 

There soon came a reaction, however, with the appear¬ 
ance on the scene of Francis of Assisi. His plea for a 
pure life for those professing to be followers of the Christ 
soon brought the doctrine of the Second Coming of 
Christ again into prominence. Harnack says: “The re¬ 
turn of our Lord was the faith of the Franciscan spiri¬ 
tualists. ’’ 

The keynote of the great revival under Savonarola was 
belief in the Second Coming of Christ. Again and 
again he refers “to the nearness of Christ’s coming to 
take the kingdom ’ ’ and 4 * the promised latter-day glory. ’ 9 
This is Elliot’s testimony regarding this great reformer. 

Listen to the testimony of Tyndale, the man who gave 
the English Bible to the world: “We are commanded to 


42 


THE COMING KING 


look every hour for that day. Christ and His apostles 
taught no other, but warned us to look for His coming 
every hour.” 

Latimer , who was burned at the stake for the testimony 
of Jesus, said, “The Lord will come . . . the day is 

not far off. . . . When Paul thought the day would 
come in his time much more shall we think it shall be in 
our time. . . . Peradventure it may come in my day, 
old as I am.” 

Such was also the position of Ellicott, Tragelles, 
Godet, Stier, Delitzsch, Lange, Olhausen, DeWette, 
Meyer, Jamieson, Fausset, Schall, Bengel, Canon Ryle. 
So Calvin, Swingli, Melancthon, Luther, Knox, the 
Wesleys, John Bunyan, Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, be¬ 
lieved. This was the faith of Candlish, Guthrie, Robert 
Hall, Thomas Chalmers, Andrew and Horatius Bonar, 
Nathaniel West, Robert Murray McCheyne. So Adolph 
Saphir, Gaussen, Van Osterzee, Auberhen, Baumgarten, 
Hoffman, Stockmeyer, Lange and Schenkel held. Time 
would fail me to tell of others such as Spurgeon, Brooks, 
Moody, Moorehead, Gordon, Blackstone, Torrey, Chap¬ 
man, Sunday, Pierson, F. B. Meyer, G. C. Morgan, Sco¬ 
field, Carey of India, Moffatt of Africa, Hudson Taylor 
of China, who look for the Coming of the Lord in pre- 
millennial glory. 

Church of Christ of to-day, what shall we say to these 
things? Are these facts not sufficient, to say the least, to 
create a vital interest in and arouse us from any lethargy 
with reference to this precious doctrine of the Christian 
Church ? Some one has well said that the one great and 
striking difference and point of sad contrast between the 
early Church and the Church of to-day is in its attitude 
toward the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ. 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


43 


Here we have traced, through prophets, Christ, angels, 
apostles, the early Church, and the foremost churchmen 
of the centuries, the belief that has been held with regard 
to this blessed doctrine of the Scriptures. What shall we 
say to these things ? Can we any longer refuse to believe 
in the doctrine, hold it lightly, or keep silent regarding 
it? Why should the man who believes in this doctrine 
be called a faddist or eccentric ? He is really concentric, 
for he is on the centre. It is the man who does not 
believe in this doctrine that is eccentric, for he is off the 
centre. 

It was Massillon who said that * ‘ In the early days of 
Christianity it would have been deemed a kind of 
apostasy not to sigh for the return of the Lord.” 
“Strange,” said the late Dr. A. J. Gordon, “that we 
have reached an age when it is accounted an eccentricity 
to love His appearing, and a theological error to cry with 
the apostle, ‘Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly.’ ” 

The Coming Again of Christ is a central truth of 
revelation, and one around which the great truths of our 
faith revolve. No abuse of the doctrine should keep us 
from accepting it. Indeed it has happened more than 
once that the abuse of a doctrine has led to the great 
discovery of a lost doctrine. This is true, as before 
noted, of Luther’s experience with the doctrine of 
“Justification by faith.” 

The existence of cranks who hold strange views re¬ 
garding this doctrine should not dampen our great in¬ 
terest in it. Cranks are useful and have their place; they 
keep things moving, anyway. 

Nor should the absurdities of those who set dates for 
the Coming of the Lord set us against the doctrine, any 
more than it is against the science of astronomy that 


44 


THE COMING KING 


mistakes have been made with regard to the nature or 
time of the appearance of certain heavenly bodies. 

Who is the “ blessed and faithful servant ” referred 
to by our Lord (Matt. 24:45)? Is he not the one who is 
watching for His Coming? “But and if that servant 
shall say, My Lord delayeth his coming . . . then 

the Lord will come ” and woe be to that servant (Matt. 
24:48-51). 

Are we ready for a fair, impartial look at the Scrip¬ 
tural presentation of this doctrine, or shall we, like the 
Jews of old, shut our eyes to it because it does not coin¬ 
cide with our view of things as we think they ought to 
be? Shall we be fair and honest and sincere in our 
search after truth, or shall we be bigots? Yes, or no? 

2. Opposition to the Doctrine. 

Seeing, then, that the doctrine of the Second Coming 
of our Lord is so exceedingly important, as witnessed by 
the testimony of prophets, the words of Jesus Himself, 
the teaching of the Apostles, and the belief and faith of 
the early Church and of the faithful throughout all the 
ages of the Church’s history, why is it a doctrine so 
neglected and spoken against by so many, even in the 
Church, to-day? 

In answer to this question, a number of reasons may be 
given: 

(a) The abuse which the doctrine has met with at the 
hands of those who have believed it and taught it. 

It is unfortunate, indeed, that many good people who 
have found great help and comfort to godly living in be¬ 
lieving the doctrine of the Coming Again of our Lord, 
have, in their endeavour to spread this belief, and, per¬ 
chance, to exhibit their superior knowledge in matters 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


45 


pertaining to the doctrine, been guilty of “being wise 
above what is written” in the Bible. They have fixed 
dates for the occurrence of the various episodes con¬ 
nected with the Second Coming, going even so far as to 
set the exact day, month, or year in which our Lord 
Himself would come for the Church. History tells us of 
the extremes in life and practice to which such belief has 
led these misguided people. But, should such extrava¬ 
gances, foolish interpretations, and absurd views of a 
doctrine clearly taught in the Word of God be sufficient 
to lead intelligent, truth-seeking Christians to forsake 
that doctrine? Because the doctrines of the “gracious 
forgiveness of sins” and “justification by faith” were 
abused by the gross extravagances and corruptions of the 
Church of the Middle Ages, was that sufficient reason 
why, under the vision of that glorious doctrine of the 
Reformation given to Martin Luther, the Church should 
not return to, firmly believe in, and preach the Biblical 
doctrine of “Justification by faith” even though it had 
been so long hidden and abused ? At once we unhesitat¬ 
ingly say, ‘ ‘ Of course not; that would be a mark of big¬ 
otry, stubbornness and insincerity.” Why not then ap¬ 
ply the same principle to the much abused and neglected 
doctrine of our Lord’s Second Coming? 

But, on the other hand, in view of the words of Jesus: 
“Ye know neither the day nor the hour,” is it not 
equally fallacious to postpone His Coming generations 
ahead, and say He cannot come again until certain 
events, such as the conversion of the world, for example, 
have transpired? Is it not wrong to say, “My Lord de- 
layeth His Coming”? 

(b) The neglect of this glorious doctrine may be at - 
tributed to ignorance of the Scriptures. 


46 


THE COMING KING 


This is true, not only with regard to their contents in 
general, but also in connection with what they have to 
say with reference to the Second Coming of Christ in 
particular. It is notably true touching that particular 
phase of the doctrine known as premillennialism as dis¬ 
tinguished from posfanillennialism. An acknowledged 
scholar in the Biblical world, indeed no less a person 
than the president of an important theological seminary 
in one of our largest cities, said to the writer, “What is 
the best book you can recommend on the subject of the 
Second Coming of Christ, particularly from the pre- 
millennial side ? I must confess I have never given that 
view of the doctrine the slightest consideration, having 
been taught to constantly avoid it as being ‘faddish.’ 
Now, I believe it is incumbent on me to make myself well 
acquainted with the whole subject from every side as 
being the only fair thing for a student of the Word of 
God to do. I am firmly of the opinion that a great crisis, 
if not a decisive cleavage in the Church, is coming, and 
the point of cleavage will be the attitude toward the doc¬ 
trine of the Second Coming. I want to be prepared to 
meet it when it comes, as come it must.” This, in sub¬ 
stance, was the confession of a great man in the theo¬ 
logical world. He was honest, and sincerely seeking 
after truth. Would that all were as open to truth as he 
was! Yet, what an amazing confession of ignorance on 
so important a doctrine on the part of one who was the 
head of an institution which has for its aim the training 
and fitting of young men for the ministry and the teach¬ 
ing of the Word of God! And if ignorance of this doc¬ 
trine is so great in so important a sphere as this, how 
much greater must it be in the rank and file of the laity 
as a whole, as well as in the doctrinal acquisition of the 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


47 


man in the pulpit who has received his training under 
such men! We cannot give to others what we do not 
ourselves possess. 

A very prominent preacher in the West told me how 
he came to be a believer in the premillennial doctrine of 
the Lord’s Coming. An evangelist had been holding 
services in the neighbourhood of his church and had been 
laying great emphasis on the Second Coming. This had 
greatly disturbed the pastor. He resolved therefore to 
preach a series of sermons of the other side of the ques¬ 
tion—the postmillennial view of the Lord’s Coming. 
Accordingly, in preparing for this series of sermons, he 
wrote to the publishing house and asked them to send 
him the best books they had on postmillennialism. To 
his amazement, the publishers sent word back that they 
had no such books, that indeed there was but one really 
good standard book on that subject and that was Dr. 
Brown’s book, but they were out of that at present and 
did not know when they would have a copy. They 
promised to send to a second-hand bookstore and see if 
they could locate a copy of Brown’s book. This confes¬ 
sion of absence of books on the postmillennial side rather 
startled the preacher. Finally, a copy of Brown’s book 
came. The preacher read it and reread it. After some 
weeks of reading he gave up the study because he found 
out that, in his judgment, there really was no solid 
ground on which to base the postmillennial argument. 
He saw that denunciation was not information, that de¬ 
struction was not instruction, and that abuse was not 
data for belief. The result was that that preacher be¬ 
came a most ardent premillennialist and began preaching 
a series of ten sermons on that phase of the Coming of 
Christ. To his great surprise his church began to fill up 


48 


THE COMING KING 


until it became impossible for the building to accommo¬ 
date the Sunday night audiences, whereas during the 
previous years of his ministry in that church he had had 
much room to spare in each service. He confessed to me 
that he had never really studied his Bible on the subject, 
but that when he did really get down to definite study 
for himself he could not but believe in the premillennial 
Coming of Christ. 

How little is known, even among some who teach the 
Bible, of what may be termed dispensational teaching, or, 
to use a Scriptural phrase, “rightly dividing the word 
of truth .’* All Scripture was not written to us; it was 
written for us, however. A threefold division of appli¬ 
cation is referred to in 1 Corinthians 10:32: “The Jew, 
the Gentile, and the church of God.” There can be no 
true understanding, interpretation, or application of the 
contents of the Word of God which does not take cog¬ 
nizance of this inspired division. “God has spoken 
. . . in divers portions and divers manners ” (Heb. 

1:1). The Bible becomes an absolutely new book when 
this fact is recognized and applied in its study. 

How often we hear passages of Scripture which speak 
of some promise made to “Zion,” and which, therefore, 
is purely Jewish, made spiritually applicable to the 
“Church of God.” Thus it is that many Scriptures 
which refer to the rehabilitation again of Palestine by 
the Jew have become misconstrued and referred to the 
Church, and really made impossible to fully understand 
because of such erroneous application. Zion is not the 
Church; the Jew is not the Gentile; nor is the “Jew” or 
“Gentile,” as such, “the Church of God.” Let us not 
“wrest the Scriptures, as do some ” (2 Pet. 3:16). 

It is a remarkable fact, account for it as you will, that 


THE CEBTAINTY OF THE CBISIS 


49 


wherever yon find such “ rightly dividing the word of 
truth” there you find that the doctrine of the Second 
Coining of Christ has received its rightful place in the 
“faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints” 
(Jude 3). And it is a fact, again account for it as you 
will, that the greatest teachers of the English Bible the 
world over are firm believers in and strong proclaimers 
of the truth of the Lord’s Second Coming. Name them 
over one by one as they come to your mind and you will 
find this to be absolutely true. Is not this a fact worth 
noting? Let us not be ignorant or bigoted as are some. 
Let us be wise and understand. 

(c) The Over-emphasis of the Doctrine. 

The over-emphasizing of this doctrine at the expense 
of other parts of the divine revelation has brought the 
Second Coming of Christ into disrepute in some quarters. 

It is to be deeply regretted that there are people who, 
judging from their preaching and testimony in public 
and private, seem to see nothing else in the Bible but the 
Second Coming of Christ. The glorious doctrines of 
justification, sanctification, faith, adoption, and others 
equally vital, are, apparently, ignored by them. If pas¬ 
tor or teacher does not present the doctrine of the Second 
Coming in every sermon or address, or at least refer to it, 
he is censured and perchance branded by such people as 
being ‘‘unspiritual” and “not a Bible student.” Now 
the Second Coming of Christ is one of the most precious 
doctrines in the Bible, but it is by no means the whole 
Bible. Paul said, “I shrank not from declaring unto 
you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Let us 
not be one-sided, but present the full-orbed view of the 
truth. Let us not fasten the stigma of ‘ ‘ faddist 9 9 on the 
Christian faith. 


50 


THE COMING KING 


Of course, the other side should not forget that it is 
equally foolish, fallacious and detrimental to the best in¬ 
terests of truth to ignore the doctrine of the Second 
Coming. Of the two positions, that of ignorance or si¬ 
lence is more harmful. Silence and over-emphasis _ both 

are wrong, but neither one is a valid argument why this 
glorious doctrine should be neglected or ignored. 

( d) Worldliness in the Church. 

Such a doctrine as that of the Coming of the Lord 
Jesus is not especially palatable to a church or people 
engrossed in worldly pleasure, and surfeited with the 
affairs of this world (Luke 21: 34-36). 

It is not pleasant to be told that we may be taken 
unawares in our sins. It was the deplorably sad and 
worldly condition of the Church in the third and fourth 
centuries that led to the expurgation of the doctrine of 
the Second Coming of Christ from the creed of the 
Church. How could such a priesthood and such a peo¬ 
ple, sunken as they were in gross immorality, bear to 
hear about an imminent Coming of the Lord? No won¬ 
der the testimony and preaching of Francis of Assisi, 
Montanus and Savonarola were utterly obnoxious to the 
clergy and church of their day, and that these men of 
God were either banished or burned because they dared 
to proclaim the speedy coming of Christ to put an end to 
such unrighteousness and immorality. 

A dead, worldly Church to-day no more likes to hear 
this doctrine than did the Church of the days gone by. 
A wife who is flirting with another man during the ab¬ 
sence of her husband is not particularly interested in or 
made comfortable by the thought or announcement of 
her husband’s speedy return. And that is the trouble 
to-day with the Church—she is flirting with the world, 


THE CERTAINTY OF THE CRISIS 


51 


and the thought of the Lord’s Return is therefore un¬ 
palatable to her (James 4:4, 5). 

The proclamation of this truth makes a worldly church 
uncomfortable in its sin, and the average church and 
professing Christian does not like to be made uncom¬ 
fortable. It is a fact that individual churches which, as 
such, hold to and proclaim this comforting doctrine are 
recognized as being more spiritual than those denying it. 
This is no mere empty statement. Test it and see. 
Further, a careful examination will reveal another fact 
worthy of your thought ; that the men and women 
throughout the country who hold to the doctrine of the 
Second Coming and give it its rightful place in faith and 
practice, are recognized as being more spiritual and 
greater soul-winners by comparison than those of the 
opposite faith and practice. Again, we say, examine and 
see. 

(e) Prejudice. 

All too often prejudice keeps men from a real study 
of this doctrine. 

A friend’s name was proposed for the office of presi¬ 
dent of an important Christian organization. From 
the standpoint of character, fitness and consecration, the 
man was all that could be desired. But opposition to his 
nomination was made on the ground that he was a pre- 
millennialist. A prominent minister arose, himself a 
postmillennialist of pronounced type, and said that he 
deplored that any brother in the meeting should be so 
prejudiced and bigoted as to wish to exclude a man fiom 
a Christian office because of his views regarding the Sec¬ 
ond Coming of Christ. He then went on to say that 
this Christian layman was very well known to him, in¬ 
deed, had formerly been a member of his church; that he 


52 


THE COMING KING 


knew him to be a man not only head and shoulders above 
men in his great business, but that his life had been one 
of the deepest consecration, and that his gifts to Chris¬ 
tian work counted up in the many thousands. Further, 
this minister said, I want to bear testimony, that I have 
many premillennialists in my church and they are by far 
the most consecrated and the best workers I have. I 
therefore move you, Mr. Chairman, that our friend be 
elected to the office of presidency. The friend was 
elected. I mention this to show you how deep-seated is 
the prejudice against the doctrine of the Second Coming. 

Another case came to my attention. The pastor of a 
very prominent church in Chicago told me at the conclu¬ 
sion of one of his services that a theological professor had 
come to him and said, “1 have the opportunity of placing 
you in a most prominent pulpit, but I cannot do it so 
long as you hold premillennial views of Christ’s Com¬ 
ing.” The pastor replied, “ Thank you, Professor, I 
have a magnificent church and people here. I do not 
wish you to secure any pulpit for me. God can put me 
where He wants me to be. Further, I have lost my re¬ 
spect for your fairness, and question whether one so big¬ 
oted as you are ought to be permitted to teach the youth 
for the Christian ministry.” 

Is it not strange that there are preachers who will give 
the most cordial welcome to men—even to the point of 
welcoming them to their pulpits—who deny what we may 
rightly call important and fundamental doctrines of the 
Christian faith, but will scorn and spurn a devout, con¬ 
secrated, scholarly man and scarcely treat him decently 
simply because he is a premillennialist ? Yet, as we well 
know, this kind of thing is going on all the time. In a 
pulpit in one of our large cities, just a little while ago, a 


THE CEKTAINTY OF THE CKISIS 


53 


leading Unitarian was given the opportunity to preach. 
That was in a Trinitarian Church, mark you. Yet it is 
well known that the doors of that church would be, and 
have been, shut to a man who is loyal to the faith of the 
Christian Church, consecrated and scholarly, just be¬ 
cause he was a premillennialist. This is bigotry and 
prejudice of the worst kind. No such small, narrow 
mind can be susceptible to truth. 

Dr. Shaler Matthews, Dean of the Divinity School of 
the University of Chicago, is reported to have said that 
* 1 no man can hold the premillennial view whose mind has 
been really affected by the modern scientific methods and 
discoveries.*’ So “the modern mind” is to be preferred 
to the clear and explicit statements of the Bible. It will 
be a sad day indeed for the Church of Christ when the 
Bible shall be put aside for the foibles of the so-called 
“scientific” and “modern mind.” 


Ill 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 

B Y the World’s Next Great Crisis is meant the 
Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, per¬ 
sonally and visibly, to this earth. This we be¬ 
lieve to be the clear and explicit teaching of the Scrip¬ 
ture as a careful consideration of the following passages 
will show. 

1. The Second Coming of Christ is to be a Personal 
Coming. 

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with 
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the 
trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; 
then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up 
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the 
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 
4:16, 17). 

It is to be noted here that it is the Lord Himself who 
shall descend from heaven. This same word is used of 
God in 3:11—“Now God himself and our Father.” 
Surely there can be no mistake with regard to the teach¬ 
ing of this verse. A Christ as definitely personal as God 
the Father is personal is coming again. (See also 5: 23— 
“And the very God of peace himself sanctify you.”) 
The Greek language knows of no stronger expressions to 
denote “personality” than the intensive personal pro¬ 
nouns here used. 


64 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 55 


That is also the testimony of the angels, “ Which also 
said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing np into 
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you 
into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen 
him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Here we are told 
that it is “this same Jesus” whom the wondering dis¬ 
ciples saw slowly vanishing from their sight that “shall 
so come in like manner,” “in just the same way, sud¬ 
denly, personally, visibly” (Weymouth). See also John 
14:19, 21; Hebrews 9: 28; 12:14. Peter, in his sermon 
(Acts 3:19-21) explains to us his understanding of Acts 
1:10, 11. See also Revelation 2:15 for same use of the 
phrase “in like manner.” It can mean nothing else 
than “just the same way.” 

We happen to know just how “this same Jesus” 
looked, for we have a record of the post-resurrection ap¬ 
pearances of Jesus to His disciples. That he had a real 
body is evidenced from the Emmaus story in which we 
are told that the two disciples journeying thither took 
Him to be “a stranger in Jerusalem”—that is, just an 
ordinary man (Luke 24:13-18). When Jesus appeared in 
the midst of the disciples in the room in which they were 
gathered, and they were greatly affrighted, thinking they 
saw an apparition, Jesus said, “Why are ye troubled? 
. . . Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I my¬ 

self : handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and 
bones as ye see me have” (24:38, 39). The disciples 
told Thomas, who was absent at this time of the Lord’s 
appearing, that they had “seen the Lord.” Thomas, 
doubting, replied, “Except I shall see in his hands the 
print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the 
nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not be¬ 
lieve.” “And after eight days again his disciples were 


56 


THE COMING KING 


within, and Thomas with them. . . . Then saith he 

to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands 
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; 
and be not faithless but believing” (John 20: 24-27). 

There can surely be no doubt then as to how Jesus 
looked and what kind of a body He had after His resur¬ 
rection and when the disciples saw Him vanish from 
their sight. Well, it is “this same Jesus” who “shall so 
come in like manner .” So Zechariah tells us that when 
the Messiah of the Jews shall again come to the world 
that “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced” 
( 12 : 10 ). 

The Coming Again of Jesus Christ is not to be looked 
upon as a successive series of progressive religious events 
and victories, but the personal advent of the Saviour 
Himself. The disciples witnessed His bodily departure; 
they would see Him come again, personally, visibly. No 
other meaning can legitimately be taken out of this pas¬ 
sage. From the Mount of Olives He ascended (Acts 
1:11) and on that same mount His feet shall stand 
when He shall again come into this world (Zech. 14:4). 

In Hebrews 9:26-28, it is said, ‘ ‘ For then must he 
(Christ) often have suffered since the foundation of the 
world; but now once in the end of the world (age) hath 
he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after 
this the judgment; so Christ was once offered to bear the 
sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he 
appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” 
Here the two comings of Christ are dealt with: His 
First Coming—to deal with the question of sin by the 
offering up of Himself once for all; His Second Coming, 
apart from sin—to assume the reins of world govern- 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 57 


ment. It was surely a 'personal Christ who came the first 
time as the Saviour of the race. It will be no less a per¬ 
sonal Christ who will come the second time to rule and 
reign. The same Christ who ‘ 4 entered into the holy 
place made without hands” (Heb. 9: 24) is the “same” 
Christ who will “appear the second time without sin 
unto salvation” (v. 28). So the cross and the crown— 
the First and Second Advents are here linked together 
by the writer even as are death and the judgment, the 
one being as certain and sure as the other. * ‘ The cruci¬ 
fixion and crowning are blended together in one glad 
message of hope, and Jesus Christ is at once the Alpha 
and Omega, the Author and Finisher of our salvation. 
The living, loving, personal Christ in both instances.” 
There can be no avoiding this fact by the sincere searcher 
after truth. 

When God, the first time, brought His “first begotten” 
into the world, in Bethlehem, He sent a personal Saviour, 
so “when he shall again bring into the world his first¬ 
born” (Heb. 1: 6, R. V.)—that is, at the Second Coming 
—He will send a personal King. 

The Second Coming of Christ, then, will be personal. 
It will not be His coming in His Spirit, or through the 
triumphs of His Church, neither will it be by death, even 
as it was not by the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a. d. 
It will be the coming of the Christ Himself. The “man 
of sin” needs the “Son of Man” to overcome him, and 
the “son of perdition” needs “the Son of God” to de¬ 
stroy him. 

The “parousia” is always a personal presence, never 
anything else (see John 14:3). It is the King Himself 
—not even His kingdom—that we are to look for. We are 
told that in papyri from the Ptolemaic period down to 


58 


THE COMING KING 


the second century a. d. “parousia” (coming, presence) 
is traced in the East to the technical expression for the 
arrival or the visit of the king or emperor. It is not, 
therefore, a word peculiar to the New Testament. It 
was in use in the time of the apostles and they captured 
it for a sacred use (compare 2 Cor. 10:1, 2, 10, 11; Matt. 
23:4, 27). The ‘ 4 coming/’ therefore, is the “personal 
arrival.” This is clearly true of both the Christ and 
the antichrist as seen in 2 Thessalonians 2: 7-9. The 
“man of sin” is personal, so is “the Son of Man” who 
destroys him. 

It is a serious mistake to make the Second Coming of 
Christ refer to great moral and spiritual movements such 
as the Reformation, the Renaissance, the Landing of the 
Pilgrim Fathers, or any of the great revivals under Wes¬ 
ley, Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, Finney or Moody. 
That is not what the Scripture says. 

2. The Second Coming of Christ will be a Visible 
Coming. 

“Every eye,” “all kindreds of the earth,” “the 
house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” shall 
see Him (Zech. 12:10; Matt. 24:27; Rev. 1:7). 

“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is 
Christ, or there, believe it not. For there shall arise 
false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great 
signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, 
they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told 
you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Be¬ 
hold he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in 
the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning 
cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; 
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 59 


wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gath¬ 
ered together 5 ’ (Matt. 24:23-28). 

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall 
see him, and they also which pierced him; and all kin¬ 
dreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, 
Amen” (Rev. 1:7). 

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon 
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of 
supplication: and they shall look upon him whom they 
have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one 
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for 
him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zech. 
12:10). This must refer to the Second Coming of 
Christ, for it refers to Him as having been “pierced.” 

No desert, secret-chamber Christ will He be. As the 
lightning is seen from one end of the heaven to the other, 
so visible will the Coming of the Son of Man be. 1 

In Acts 1:11, the word “seen” always has reference 
to that which is tangible and is discovered with the eyes 
—something that one views with attention. For this rea¬ 
son it is used in Matthew 6:1: “Do not your alms before 
men to be seen of them.” It is a word that is closely 
related to the Greek word for theatre (theatron). 

“Ye shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds,” 
etc., the word signifies that which one is permitted to see 
with the eyes. From both these passages, as well as from 
the others above quoted, it seems clear that a visible re¬ 
turn of the Lord in bodily form is meant (Matt. 26: 64). 
These words can have no other meaning. 

If the ascension of Christ was spiritual and meta- 

1 Of course this has particular reference to the Coming of 
Christ with His saints. It does not refer to the rapture of the 
Church—His coming for the saints, an event which will not be 
visible to the world. 


60 


THE COMING KING 


phorical, then, perhaps, the Second Coming of Christ 
may be so interpreted. But was not the Ascension a lit¬ 
eral fact? Why not then the Second Coming a literal, 
personal, bodily, visible Coming of Christ ? 

3. The Second Coming of Christ will be a Coming 
to THIS EARTH again (Zech. 14:4, 9; Job 19:25, 
26;Heb. 1:6, K. V.). 

We must again carefully distinguish here between the 
two aspects of the Second Coming: That which has to do 
with the rapture of the saints—at which time our Lord 
does not come to the earth, but meets His saints ‘ ‘ in the 
air,” and that which has to do with His Coming to the 
earth to set up His millennial kingdom. It is to the 
second phase that reference is here made. “ And his feet 
shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which 
is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives 
shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and to¬ 
ward the west, and there shall be a very great valley, and 
half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and 
half of it toward the south” (Zech. 14:4). 

Literal or Figurative — Which? 

Here we are told that “in that day” the feet of the 
Son of Man shall “stand on the Mount of Olives.” Why 
should we say, “This is purely figurative language”? 
Says Steele: “Either the whole chapter is entirely literal 
or entirely symbolical in meaning. This being so, we 
may ask whether verses 4, 10 and 11 are symbolical or 
literal.” Why should it be more improbable that His 
feet should rest on Olivet at His Second Coming than 
that they rested on it during His First Coming? Surely 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 61 


“the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah” 
(v. 4), to which reference is made in this passage as 
illustrating a similar catastrophe that shall take place 
t ‘ in that day ’ ’ was a literal and historic fact. Why not 
the rest of the record then ? 

We are well acquainted with the slogan, “The letter 
killeth,” advocated by some as a warning against a too 
literal interpretation of Scripture. But a careful read¬ 
ing of the passage in which this expression occurs (2 Cor. 
3:1-18, especially verse 6) will show that this is a wrong 
interpretation of the words. No reference whatever is 
made to any contrast between the literal and figurative 
interpretation of Scripture. The contrast is between the 
(Sinaitic) law written and engraven on stones, which 
was a minister of death because of the inability of man 
to keep it, and that new law (“the law of the Spirit of 
life in Christ Jesus,” cf. Rom. 8:2) written on the tab¬ 
lets of human hearts—that which, enabled by the in¬ 
dwelling Spirit, the believer keeps, and thereby lives. 
The contrast is between the law and the Gospel, not be¬ 
tween the literal and figurative interpretation of the 
Scriptures. The critics ought to know that. 

Is it not a compliment to those who hold to the pre- 
millennial teaching of our Lord’s Second Coming to hear 
the opponent assert that ‘ ‘ in order to sustain such a view 
of the Coming it is necessary to adhere to the literal inter¬ 
pretation of the Scripture, for nothing but the literal in¬ 
terpretation of the Scripture can prove premillennialism 
to be true ’’ ? May we ask, are the kingdoms that, accord¬ 
ing to Daniel, are to be displaced by the kingdom which 
the Son of Man shall set up on the earth when He comes, 
spiritual or literal kingdoms? Were the kingdoms of 
Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece. Macedonia, and Rome 


62 


THE COMING KING 


literal or spiritual? Why should not the kingdom of the 
Son of Man be thus literal ? 

A Guide to Scripture Interpretation 

Scripture should be interpreted literally except where 
the context or the scope of the book clearly indicates the 
opposite. That some parts of the Scripture are to be in¬ 
terpreted spiritually is very evident, as a consideration 
of John 2:19-23 and 7: 38-39 clearly shows. Where no 
qualification of language is stated, or where no intimation 
that the language is symbolic is given, the Scriptures 
should be taken in their literal sense. 

Why should it be considered unscholarly or unfair for 
the premillennialist to literalize the Scriptures than for 
the postmillennialist to spiritualize them? Why should 
premillennialists be criticized for taking certain passages 
literally which postmillennialists take spiritually, and 
postmillennialists not be criticized because they take 
spiritually what premillennialists take literally ? 

Shall we say that the flood was spiritual? that the 
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was spiritual? that 
the slaying of the first-horn of Egypt was spiritual ? that 
the Passover which the Jews even to-day commemorate 
as having been a real historical event, was merely spiri¬ 
tual? Was the birth, the First Coming of Christ, spiri¬ 
tual? If so, then we are mistaken in dating our letters 
A. d.. Anno Domini. Should we not interpret the Scrip¬ 
tures literally except where the context and scope of the 
text distinctly teach otherwise ? Alas, what damage 
Origen’s allegorizing method of interpreting the Scrip¬ 
tures has wrought in the Church! 

This loose method of spiritualizing Scripture does not 
tend to clearness in statements of doctrine. According 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 63 

to the figurative interpretation, one thousand meanings 
could be taken from one passage of Scripture, and one 
can see how it would be comparatively easy, on this the¬ 
ory, to shatter even Christianity to fragments. What 
kind of interpretation of the Scripture is it that takes 
“the woes and curses” pronounced upon the Jew, and 
which, as history clearly shows, have been literally ful¬ 
filled, as literal, and then take “the blessings” pro¬ 
nounced upon the Jew for faithfulness as spiritual, as a 
boon to be visited on the Church and not on the Jew? 
Why should we say that “Jerusalem” and “Zion” rep¬ 
resent the Church? When a spiritual Jerusalem is re¬ 
ferred to, it is generally so stated, or at least the word 

Jerusalem” is qualified: e. g., “the new Jerusalem” 
(Rev. 21:2), “the Jerusalem which is above” (Gal. 
4:25, 26), “the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 11:22), the 
spiritual Jerusalem, or “Sodom and Egypt” (Rev. 
11: 8). In unqualified instances Jerusalem is to be un¬ 
derstood as meaning the literal city of Jerusalem. 

Some examples of the spiritualizing and allegorizing of 
the Scriptures and the ludicrous length to which it may 
be carried are here illustrated: “The king of Egypt is 
the devil; the male and female children of the Hebrews 
are the rational and animal faculties of the soul; the mid¬ 
wives are the Old and New Testaments; Pharaoh’s 
daughter is the Church; Moses is the Law; the ark and 
the flags in which he was found are the absurd and car¬ 
nal glosses of the Jews” (Sims, in “Shadows,” p. 112). 

This thing of scouting the idea that the commandments 
were not written by God “because God was not a stone 
mason” may sound amusing, but it is not. Belshazzar 
found out to his sorrow that the handwriting on the wall 
was real even though God was not “a fresco or sign 


64 


THE COMING KING 


painter. ’’ Such frivolous attempts to ridicule the literal 
interpretation of the Scripture are akin to blasphemy. 

Spiritualizers of the Scripture would tell us that 
Christ comes again when a soul is regenerated (cf. Matt. 
1:21) ; that He comes where two or three are gathered 
together in His name and is found “in the midst of 
them” (Matt. 18:20); that He comes in the hour of 
death and drives the shadows away. 

Let us, for example, put ourselves back, before the 
days of Isaiah, and read the prophecies concerning 
Christ’s First Coming as many to-day read the promises 
regarding His Second Coming. Let us see what sense 
we can make out of them by spiritualizing them. “We 
see the birth of Christ in those who are ‘born of the 
Spirit ’ (John 3:5-6) having ‘Christ formed in them’ 
(Gal. 4:19), their ‘hope of glory’ (Col. 1: 27). We see 
the sufferings of Christ in the martyrdom of the saints 
who are ‘as the apple of his eye’ (Zech. 2:8), and we see 
His humiliation in the divine condescension to pardon 
vile humanity. We see His death in the apostasy and 
abandonment of truth as depicted in the story of the 
judgment hall and the cross. We behold His resurrec¬ 
tion in the rising of souls into ‘newness of life’ (Rom. 
6:4; Col. 3:1), and their being ‘not of the world’ (John 
15:19). We witness the ascension in the true departure 
of the faithful saints” (Silver, p. 214). Are not all 
these things seen in Christian experience? Why not 
then, according to the allegorical interpretation of Scrip¬ 
ture, so interpret these apparently historical events? 

We ask, Why should not the events connected with 
Christ’s Second Coming be as literally fulfilled as were 
those connected with His First Advent into the wmrld? 
The Jews stumbled over the literal fulfillment of the an- 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 65 


nouncements touching the incarnation; shall we show like 
foolishness with regard to the distinct statements, which 
a fair interpretation of the text and context shows to be 
literal, respecting the Second Advent? The Jews stum¬ 
bled over the literality of Christ’s First Coming as re¬ 
corded in Luke 1:31, while accepting literally the pre¬ 
dicted events of His Second Coming as set forth in Luke 
1: 33. We simply reverse the Jew’s difficulty—we make 
the First Coming literal and the Second spiritual. 

The writer to the Hebrews very clearly teaches that 
Christ is Coming the Second time to the earth. He says 
(1:6, R. V.), “And when he (God) shall again have 
brought into the world his firstborn.” Two things are 
to be noted here: first that just as God at first sent His 
firstborn into the world to redeem it so He will again 
send Him into this world to consummate all the redemp¬ 
tive plans and purposes which the Father intends shall 
be brought to a head in the Son. Note, too, in the sec¬ 
ond place, that the word “world” here means the “hab¬ 
itable earth.” Weymouth translates the passage thus: 
“But speaking of the time when He once more brings 
His firstborn into the world” and comments as follows: 
“This word (once more brings) can only refer to the 
great entering of the Messiah on His kingdom.” And 
this he quotes from Dean Alford, than whom there has 
been perhaps no greater New Testament scholar. 

What other Coming should the Christian, even as John 
in the Revelation (22:20, 21), pray and long for? 
Surely not a spiritual coming, for he is keenly conscious 
of that already. He rejoices in Him Whom, though not 
having seen, he loves. Suppose you were looking for a 
loved one’s return, would you be satisfied with a photo 
of him, or a book written by him, or news of his goodness 


66 


THE COMING KING 


or popularity? Certainly not. It is himself you desire 
to see. 

Glad indeed are we to note that one of the foremost 
writers on the postmillennial side of the controversy sees 
the weakness of those who would 4 4 spiritualize ’ ’ away all 
references bearing on the Second Coining. He boldly 
faces the issue. Here are his words: “That the early 
Christians did in one form or another believe in a coming 
reign of Christ on earth is a simple fact of history. . . . 
It cannot be explained away. Intellectual honesty for¬ 
bids us to take refuge in a process of ‘ spiritualizing 9 
those passages which record the hope. Those passages 
meant what they said." —J. Albert Moore (italics ours). 
Mr. Moore’s warning should be heeded. 

It is into this world filled with anger, malice, hatred, 
war, iniquity, unrighteousness, and controlled by the 
“prince of the power of the air” that the Christ will 
come to make an end of iniquity, to bring in everlasting 
righteousness, and to set up His throne and kingdom for¬ 
ever and ever. It is to take charge of 11 all the kingdoms 
of the world and the glory of them” which Satan showed 
Christ in the wilderness temptation (Matt. 4:8, 9), that 
the Christ comes. He refused them then at Satan’s hand 
and price, but now they are His by redemption’s pur¬ 
chase. “He shall judge the world with righteousness” 
(Psa. 98:9). It is “into the world” that God “again” 
bringeth His first-begotten (Heb. 1: 6, R. V.). What a 
glorious earth this will be when Christ shall be recog¬ 
nized as supreme in it; when war shall be no more; when 
sickness, sin, and sorrow shall not longer break the hearts 
of mankind, and when righteousness shall cover the earth 
as the waters cover the sea! (Isa. 11:9). “Even so, 
Lord Jesus, come quickly.” 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 67 


4 . Certain false notions and erroneous views held 

WITH REGARD TO THE SECOND COMING ARE COR¬ 
RECTED BY THIS THREEFOLD SCRIPTURAL PRESENTA¬ 
TION. 

It is very clear, then, from the careful study of the 
Scriptures that certain views of Christ’s Second Coming 
that would make that event anything less than personal, 
visible and a Coming to this Earth, are erroneous and to 
be rejected. Let us examine some of these false views. 

(a) There are those who say that the Second Coming 
of Christ means death; that when we die Jesus comes 
to us. 

The absurdity of this position is seen if we substitute 
the word death for the Coming of the Lord in such pas¬ 
sages as deal with that subject. For example, take John 
21: 22: “If I will that he tarry till I come .” Now read 
it, “If I will that he tarry till he die.” How absurd! 
That Jesus was not speaking of death in the case of John 
(even though He did in the case of Peter) is clear from 
the entire context (John 21:18-23) : “Verily, verily, I 
say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thy¬ 
self, and walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou 
shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and an¬ 
other shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou would¬ 
est not. This spake he, signifying by what death he 
would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he 
saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, 
seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following, which also 
leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is 
he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, 
Lord, and what shall this man do ? Jesus saith unto 
him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to 
thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad 


68 


THE COMING KING 


among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: 
yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I 
will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” 
Surely any fair interpretation of these words of our 
Lord lead us to believe that He asserted, to say the least, 
the possibility of John’s living to see His parousia. 

Or take Matthew 16:28: “There be some standing 
here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son 
of Man coming in his kingdom.” Now read it: “Shall 
not taste death till they die .” How absurd! (cf. also 
Phil. 3: 20 in like manner). 

Did the Jew regard the First Coming of Christ to 
mean death? Certainly not. Then why should the 
Christian regard the Second Coming as equivalent to 
death? The predictions regarding the Second Coming 
are not any more literal than those pertaining to Christ’s 
First Coming, consequently they are just as likely to be 
fulfilled and as absolutely certain of it. 

At death the believer goes to be with Christ (Phil. 
1: 23; 2 Cor. 5:8), which is a different thing than Christ 
coming to take the believer to be with Himself (cf. John 
14:3; 1 Thess. 4:14-17). 

According to 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17, certain events 
accompany the Second Advent, such as the sounding of a 
trumpet (cf. also 1 Cor. 15:52), the resurrection of the 
righteous dead, the transformation of the bodies of the 
righteous living, and the meeting of both, and their being 
caught up, simultaneously, to meet the Lord in the air. 
These are recognized accompaniments of the Second 
Coming. Do these events take place when a believer 
dies ? Test it by the death of any Christian you know of 
and see if it is so. It would be absurd to claim they do. 
Jesus does not leave His place at the Father’s right hand 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 69 


and “come in the clouds” every time a believer dies. To 
think so would be absurd. 

If these verses are studied closely it will be seen that 
the Second Coming of Christ is set forth as the very 
opposite of death, for “the dead in Christ shall rise” 
from the dead when Christ comes again. At death the 
body decays; at the Coming of Christ it is transfigured, 
glorified, immortalized. Paul’s desire (2 Cor. 5:2-4) 
was not to be “unclothed” (to die) but to be “clothed 
upon” with the new body from heaven (life immortal), 
and that takes place at the Second Coming of Christ 
(Phil. 3: 20, 21). Further, in Matthew 16: 28, “Verily 
I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall 
not taste death, till they see the Son of Man coming in 
his kingdom,” the Second Coming is seen to be the very 
opposite of death. 1 

Again, what can be plainer than the teaching of 1 Co¬ 
rinthians 15:50-57 on this subject, where we are dis¬ 
tinctly taught that at the Coming of Christ we overcome , 
not succumb to, death. Death is then ‘ ‘ abolished.’ ’ 

It cannot for one moment be maintained on the basis of 
sound interpretation that death and the Second Coming 
of Christ are one and the same event. Death is an 
‘ 4 enemy, ” not a “ blessed hope. ’ ’ What heart-break and 
“sadness of farewell” there is in the presence of death, 
the death of even a believer! Naught but joy, gladness 
and glory accompany the Coming of the Lord. Death is 
an enemy, even though conquered. At Christ’s Second 

1 This promise (Matt. 16:28) was fulfilled in the three dis¬ 
ciples being privileged to witness the Transfiguration of Christ 
(Matt 17* 1-13) when they were granted a foregleam of Christ 
in the Glory of His Second Coming. This is clear from Johns 
(1:14) and Peter’s (2 Ep. 1: 16-18) account of what they saw 
and heard on the Mount of Transfiguration. 


70 


THE COMING KING 


Coming death is destroyed (1 Cor. 15:25, 26, 54—57). 
At death the body decays; at Christ’s coming it is glori¬ 
fied (Phil. 3:20, 21; 1 Cor. 15). 

Further, it should be remembered that all are not to 
die —“We shall not all sleep.” Hebrews 9: 27 says, “It 
is appointed unto men (not to all men) to die.” They 
tell us that there are two things certain for man in this 
world: death and taxes. Well, taxes may be certain, but 
death is not: “We shall not all sleep (die).” How then 
can the Second Coming be the same as death? 

Nor does Christ leave the Father’s throne every time a 
believer dies. Think of the millions and millions of 
Christians that have died during the Christian era. 
Christ would need to have come a million times were the 
Second Coming equivalent to death. But we are told 
that He will come ‘ ‘ a second time, ’ ’ not a millionth time. 
There is no reason why Christ should leave the throne of 
the Father every time a believer dies. Is not the Holy 
Spirit in the Church to conduct the “dead in Christ” 
into the presence of the Father and to “be forever with 
the Lord”? Death is our going to be with Him, not His 
coming for us. “To depart and be with Christ is, of 
course, glorious, but is not the Second Coming of our 
Lord. The spirits of our loved ones who have died in 
Christ do go to be with Christ in happy communion 
(Phil. 1:23), but when our Lord returns “he brings 
with him” our loved ones (1 Thess. 4:14). Surely “de¬ 
parting to be with Christ” is a very different thing than 
“coming with him.” It would be a difficult, we might 
say impossible task, to find one single passage of Scrip¬ 
ture that teaches that the death of the individual believer 
is at all connected with the Coming of Christ. It is the 
living saints who are caught up when Jesus comes—for 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 71 


even the dead in Christ are among the living ones caught 
up in that day (1 Thess. 4:14-17). 

(b) There are those who maintain that the Second 
Coming of Christ took place at the destruction of Jeru¬ 
salem, that that event was the actual Second Coming of 
Christ. 

To this we reply: That the events that occur in connec¬ 
tion with the Second Coming as set forth in 1 Thessa- 
lonians 4:14-17 did not take place at the destruction of 
Jerusalem. The “dead in Christ” were not then raised 
from their graves, nor were the living saints changed and 
caught up into heaven. Jesus Christ did not then set up 
His triumphant reign upon the earth. 

Again, some of the Scripture references to the Second 
Coming were written after the destruction of the holy 
city. For example: John 21:21-23 and Revelation 
22: 20 to which reference has already been made. These 
were written twenty years or more after the destruction 
of Jerusalem. 

The Second Coming is connected with the gathering, 
not the scattering, of the Jews; with the restoration, not 
the dissolution, of the Holy City. The Jews will be cap- 
tors, not captives, “in that day.” 

The destruction of Jerusalem was, doubtless, a type of 
the Second Coming, as Antiochus Epiphanes was of 
Antichrist, but it is not the Second Coming of Christ any 
more than that Roman ruler was the Antichrist. 

The Coming Again of Christ, so far as it concerns the 
Holy City, will surely be the advent of One who appears 
in its behalf, for its restoration and blessing. But the 
sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus in 70 
a. d. could not in any sense of the word be looked upon 
as beneficent. It was “an unfriendly act,” the spiteful 


72 


THE COMING KING 


vengeance of an implacable enemy, and with this agree 
the words of Jesus in Luke 19:41-44, “For the days 
shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a 
bank about thee . . . and shall dash thee to the 

ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not 
leave in thee one stone upon another.” Is this descrip¬ 
tion at all in harmony with the friendly, beneficent pur¬ 
pose of Christ’s Coming, when Jerusalem is to be re¬ 
stored and become the delight of all the earth? 

(c) The Second Coming of Christ is not one and the 
same with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day 
of Pentecost. 

It may be admitted that the coming of the Holy Spirit, 
the One Who was to take the place of Jesus, Jesus’ other 
Self, was, as it were, a coming, and a fulfillment of the 
promise of Jesus in John 14:21-23 to come and dwell 
with His disciples, but that it was not the Coming of 
Christ is clear for the following reasons: 

The events of 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 did not take 
place then. 

Many of the promises and testimonies regarding the 
Second Coming were given after Pentecost, for example: 
Acts 3:21; Philippians 3: 21; 2 Timothy 4: 8; 1 Thessa¬ 
lonians 4:14-17; 1 Corinthians 15: 51, 52. Pentecost 
was the advent of the Holy Spirit. 

Christ did not receive us unto Himself at Pentecost, 
but rather came to us in the person of the Holy Spirit. 

The accompaniments of the Second Coming, as above 
indicated, do not now take place, whenever a believer re¬ 
ceives the Holy Spirit, either at his conversion when he 
received the gift of the Holy Spirit, or at any later fuller 
experience of the Holy Spirit’s filling he may enjoy— 
this I think we will all admit. 


THE NATURE OF THE WORLD-CRISIS 73 

Further, Pentecost was not a coming, it was a going 
away, a departure (John 16:7). 

The Holy Ghost is not Christ; He is ‘ 4 another” Com¬ 
forter (John 14:16). 

Christ did not receive us to Himself but sent His 
Spirit to us at Pentecost. 

Summing it all up then, we may say by the Second 
Coming of Christ is meant the personal, visible appear¬ 
ing of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself to this world to 
take to Himself His Church, to assume the dominion of 
the kingdoms of this world, to put an end to all iniquity 
and to bring in everlasting righteousness—a new heaven 
and a new earth. 


IV 


THE PROGRAM OR ORDER OF EVENTS—THE 
WORLD’S NEXT GREAT CRISIS 

I N this connection one must avoid the spirit of over¬ 
dogmatism. Prophecy is not history. History, 
dealing as it does with the past, we may be certain 
about; but prophecy, dealing largely with the future, 
calls for great caution and modesty in the interpretation 
of its impending events. There is always a real danger 
in connection with chart-making, and detailed accounts 
of each event connected with the Lord’s Second Coming. 
Outlines in a general way we may know; details we had 
better let alone. Exactly fulfilled prophecies of the past 
assure us, however, of explicit fulfillment of waiting 
prophecies in the future. 

We should remember, however, that the Scriptures do 
present to us a program, even though general in its na¬ 
ture, of God’s plan of the ages. For example, Acts 
15:13-18: “And after they had held their peace, James 
answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 
Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the 
Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And 
to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 
After this I will return, and will build again the taber¬ 
nacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build 
again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the 
residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the 

Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, 

74 



THE PROGRAM 


75 


who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his 
works from the beginning of the world.” (See also 1 
Cor. 15:22, 23.) 

Interesting also in this connection is 2 Timothy 4:1: 
“I charge thee, therefore, before God, and the Lord 
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at 
his appearing and his kingdom. J ’ 

From these passages we may form a general idea of 
the order of events connected with the Second Coming. 
There is the choosing by God from among the Gentiles of 
a people for His name—referring, of course, to the 
Church—that is taking place now. Then, at the comple¬ 
tion of the Church, when Jesus comes to earth, God will 
again deal with the Jews as a nation. We have also (in 
2 Tim. 4:1) the resurrection of the dead (the righteous 
dead, of course, cf. Dan. 12:2; 1 Thess. 4: 1F-17; 1 Cor. 
15:22-24; Rev. 20:1-6), the order of the resurrection 
(2 Cor. 15:22, 23) ; His appearing, and then, His king¬ 
dom. 

It is not possible to state definitely the number of years 
allotted to or prescribed for each event connected with 
the Second Coming of Christ. Sometimes hundreds of 
years elapse between the lines, or even between two 
clauses, of one verse in the Bible. For example, we re¬ 
peat, in Luke 4:16-21 is recorded the incident of our 
Lord reading the Scriptures in the synagogue at Naza¬ 
reth. He is quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2. It will be 
noted that the quotation finishes with the declaration 
that Christ came “to preach the acceptable year of the 
Lord” (Luke 4:19). The prophecy in Isaiah, however, 
continues with the words, ‘ ‘ and the day of vengeance of 
our God.” These eight words Christ intentionally omit¬ 
ted because He knew that a gap (which, up to the pres- 


76 


THE COMING KING 


ent, has been nineteen hundred years long) should exist 
between the year of grace which He had come to proclaim 
by His First Advent into the world, and the year of 
judgment which would be ushered in by His Second 
Advent. 

1. The Second Coming of Christ is a Crisis with a 

VIEW TO A PROCESS. 

The Second Coming of Christ is not so much a point 
of time—although it is (introduced by) that, it is a 
lengthened period of time. Those opponents of the doc¬ 
trine who refer to it in a cynical manner as that “flash 
in the pan event’’ and “that nitroglycerine explosion” 
—both expressions indicating a pitiable ignorance as to 
what the Bible teaches regarding this phase of Christ’s 
Second Coming. Just as the First Coming of Christ in¬ 
cluded a series of events in addition to His incarnation 
or birth in Bethlehem (which in a real and strict sense 
was His actual coming into the world), such as the pres¬ 
entation at the temple, baptism, temptation, ministry, 
rejection, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of our 
Lord—all of which may be said to comprise His First 
Advent; so shall it be with regard to His Coming Again 
to this world. It will involve such events as the Rapture 
of the Church which includes the resurrection of the 
dead saints and the transformation of the living believers 
(1 Thess. 4:13-17) ; the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 
5:10) ; the marriage of the Church to her Lord (Rev. 
19); the events of the seventieth week of Daniel (9: 24- 
27); the great tribulation (Matt. 24:29; Dan. 12:1); 
the coming of Christ with His saints or holy ones 
(1 Thess. 3:13; Rev. 19); the great battle of Har- 
Magedon (Rev. 16:16) ; the judgment of the living na- 


THE PROGRAM 


77 


tions (Matt. 25); the national conversion of the Jew 
(Rom. 11); the resurrection of the “rest of the dead” 
(Rev. 20:5, 6, 12); the great white throne judgment 
(Rev. 20:12-15); the new heavens and the new earth 
(Rev. 21 and 22); the end of all iniquity and the usher¬ 
ing in of everlasting righteousness (Dan. 9:24). 

These are some of the events included in what we may 
term “The Second Coming of Christ.” Just how many 
years may be covered by any one or all these events we 
may not be able to tell. Probably it is not necessary that 
we should know, otherwise it would have been clearly 
revealed to us. It is not good to be wise above what is 
written. 

Many of the excrescences and abuses which have been 
associated with the precious doctrine of the Second Com¬ 
ing have, we fear, arisen from a failure to recognize just 
this very point: that the Second Coming of the Lord does 
not receive its fulfillment in that one act which we have 
come to call “the Rapture” (the coming of the Lord for 
His saints, 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-53), but, 
with this event as its starting point, it goes on with and 
includes all these other events, and maybe more too. 

When, therefore, we speak of the Second Coming of 
the Lord, let us remember that we refer to a series of 
events, covering we know not how many years, beginning 
with “the Rapture” and ending with the “new heavens 
and new earth” of that eternal age. This great event, this 
World-Crisis, then, is a crisis with a view to a process. 

Let us now take up the events connected with our 
Lord’s Second Coming as nearly as possible in their 
order. Just here, too, we will find differences of opinion 
among even sincere and good students of the Word. All 
that we can ask for is a prayerful consideration of the 


78 


THE COMING KING 


statements here presented and a devout comparison of 
the teaching with the Word of God. If, after prayerful 
consideration and the guidance and anointing of the Holy 
Spirit for insight into the things of God (1 John 14:26; 

' 16:13-15; 1 John 2: 20, 27), one is led to feel that the 
statements as here set forth do agree with the teaching 
of the Scriptures, well and good. If, on the other hand, 
one is not led thus to accept them, the writer will still 
feel that he has done his duty, namely, to proclaim the 
doctrine, as he sees and understands it, and leave the 
results with the Spirit of God. We should be anxious 
for the dissemination of the truth rather than for the 
propagation of our particular theories of the truth, even 
though we cannot help but hold to certain views of the 
truth as we have been led to see it. Probably no one 
teacher, no one man, any more than any one church or 
denomination, is big enough to know all the truth. 

2. The first item on the program of the World’s 
Next Great Crisis affects the true Church of 
Christ. 

By the 11 Church ’’ is meant those who have heard and 
believed the Gospel, and have received Jesus Christ as 
Saviour and Lord (cf. Acts 2:47, R. V.; cf. Eph. 3). 
They are the ‘ ‘ called out ’ ’ ones. 

It is exceedingly important that we understand the 
true teaching of the New Testament regarding the 
Church; when it came into being, what it really is, and 
who compose it. 

The Church is peculiar to the New Testament. As an 
entity it is not to be found in the Old Testament. It is 
doubtful if the prophets of the Old Testament really 
knew anything about the Church. It was a matter which 


THE PROGRAM 


79 


seems to have been kept secret from the prophets. Paul, 
uniquely, seems to have been the recipient of the revela¬ 
tion of this “mystery”—the Church. So it would seem 
from Ephesians 3:1—6. That the other apostolic writers 
of the New Testament refer to individual churches, there 
is no doubt, but scarcely to the Church as such. John, in 
the Revelation, refers to the Bride, but he does not call 
her the Church. Indeed, even Jesus Christ Himself 
said very little about the Church. He referred to it but 
twice in His whole ministry, so far as we have a record of 
that ministry (Matt. 16:18; 18:7). Jesus preached the 
Kingdom, not the Church. He promised that the Church 
would be founded; but He did not found it. 

The matter of the Church is peculiarly a Pauline 
doctrine—something revealed to him by God in a special 
way. Just when Paul received this revelation regarding 
the Church we may not be able, positively, to say. Per¬ 
haps when he was “caught up to Paradise” (2 Cor. 12). 
What he heard there he did not tell—at least not by 
word of mouth as pertaining to that specific experience, 
although it is fair to infer that we may find something of 
what he there received recorded in his writings; and 
who knows but what the teaching regarding the “mys¬ 
tery” of the “Church” may not have been the substance 
of it? Paul began by preaching the “Gospel of the 
Kingdom,” but soon we find him referring to “my 
gospel” which was the revelation of a “mystery,” com¬ 
mitted to him as a “stewardship”; a “mystery” which 
is “Christ and the Church.” (See Rom. 16: 25-27; Eph. 
1:9; 3:1, 4-9; 5:32; Col. 1:26, 27; 2:2, 4:3.) This 
“mystery” according to Paul's teaching in Colossians 
1: 26, 27; 2: 2; 4:3 is the calling out of a people from the 
world for His own, for the purpose of merging them into 


80 


THE COMING KING 


a new body of which He, Himself, was the Head—this 
body to be known as The Church. Indeed it seems to 
have been this turning on the part of Paul from the 
preaching of the “kingdom” to the preaching of “my 
gospel’’ (cf. also Gal. 2:7, 8) that was the cause of the 
calling of the council at Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 15. 

The Founding of the Church was promised by our Lord 
in Matthew 16:18. This promise was fulfilled when the 
Church was founded on the day of Pentecost. Pentecost 
was the birthday of the Church, even though the apostles 
themselves did not, perhaps, clearly understand it as 
Paul afterward did. 

The Church is an organism reserved for this age. It 
was to be and is “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12-27; 
Eph. 1: 20-23). According to this passage in Ephesians, 
the death, resurrection, ascension and exaltation of Jesus 
Christ were absolutely necessary in order that He should 
become the head of the body, consequently there could 
be no actual Church until these events in Christ’s life 
had actually taken place. The body cannot be in exist¬ 
ence before the head. So the Church is composed of 
those who, believing in Jesus Christ, are baptized by the 
Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-18). 

It follows, therefore, that there could be no Church 
before Pentecost, and, naturally, that Israel was not the 
Church. Christ promised that He would build the Church 
(Matt. 16:16-18) ; the promise was actually realized on 
the day of Pentecost. Israel was not the Church any 
more than Adam, Abel, Seth, Noah, Enoch, Job (all of 
whom were saints) were of Israel. Abraham was the 
first Jew, and Jacob was the first Israelite. 

The Church, then, is the body of Christ in this age to 
carry out His purposes, just as our eyes, hands, feet carry 


THE PROGRAM 


81 


out the purpose of our heads. This Church is “the 
bride/’ when reference is being made to her affection 
and love for her Lord and Bridegroom; she is “the 
body” when it is her life and organic relationship to 
Jesus Christ that are referred to. The Church is both 
the “body” and the “bride.” 

Just as our Lord, after His resurrection, appeared not 
to the world, that is “not unto all the people but to wit¬ 
nesses that were chosen beforehand of God” (Acts 10: 
41), so shall it be when He shall come again. It will be 
to and for those who “wait” and “look” for Him (Heb. 
9:28; 1 Cor. 1:7), His elect, precious, beloved. It was 
the circle of believers who saw Him go into heaven (Acts 
1:10, 11) ; so shall it be when He shall come out of the 
heavens. Why should He appear to the worldly and un¬ 
believing first ? They do not care for Him or 11 His ap¬ 
pearing.” They “care for none of these things” (Acts 
18:17), nor are they ready for them. 

The believing dead, as well as the believing living are 
included in the 1 ‘ Church. ’ ’ 1 The believing dead are ‘ ‘ in 
Christ” just as the believing living are “in him.” 
Christ is Lord “both of the dead and of the living.” 
“For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, 
that he might be Lord both of the dead and living” 
(Rom. 14:9). 

Our Christian dead are with Christ, in His charge, 
and under His control (Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:6-8). 
This is one reason why 11 Spiritualism ’ ’ is not true to fact. 
Our loved ones are not at the beck and call of any 
medium who seeks to bring them back to this earth. 

1 Some would include the Old Testament saints and the tribula¬ 
tion saints in “ The Church ” so far as participation in the “ first ” 
resurrection is concerned. 


82 


THE COMING KING 


They are “in Christ’’ and “with Christ.” “For to me 
to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the 
flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall 
choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, 
having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which 
is far better” (Phil. 1: 21-23). 

(a) The Rapture—The Coming of Christ for His 
saints. 

Under this thought of the Rapture may be mentioned 
(1) the resurrection of the righteous dead, (2) the trans¬ 
formation of the righteous living, and (3) the catching 
up of both together to meet the Lord in the air. 

(1) The Resurrection of the “dead in Christ”— 
“The First Resurrection ” 

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, 
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, 
even as others which have no hope. For if we believe 
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which 
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we 
say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are 
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not 
prevent (precede) them which are asleep. For the Lord 
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with 
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : 
and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which 
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with 
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so 
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wlierefore comfort one 
another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:13-18). 

“Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, 
but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twin¬ 
kling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall 
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we 


THE PKOGKAM 


83 


shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on in¬ 
corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, 
and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then 
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 
“Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is 
thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory? The sting of 
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law” (1 Cor. 
15:51-56). 

“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the 
which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and 
shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the 
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto 
the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). 

No General Resurrection 

To speak of a general resurrection of all men at the 
same time is unscriptural. The Bible clearly teaches the 
“resurrection of the just” as being prior to and separate 
from the resurrection of the wicked—“the rest of the 
dead. ’ ’ The resurrection of believers is called the resur¬ 
rection out from among the dead. 

There is a rendering of Daniel 12:2 which is interest¬ 
ing in this connection, and which reads as follows: ‘ ‘ And 
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall 
awake, some (lit. those who awake at this time) to ever¬ 
lasting life, and some (lit. those who do not awake at 
this time) to shame and everlasting contempt” (after 
Tragelles). Some of the most eminent Hebrew scholars 
translate this passage as follows: “And (at that time) 
many (of the people) shall awake (or be separated) out 
from among the sleepers in the earth dust. These (who 
awake) shall be unto life eternal, but those (who do not 


84 


THE COMING KING 


awake at that time) shall be unto contempt and shame 
everlasting. ’ ’ It seems clear from this passage that all 
do not awake at one (this) time, but only as many as are 
written in the book (12:1). 

“For as in Adam all die, even so also in Christ shall 
all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the 
first fruits; then they that are Christ’s, at his coming; 
then cometh the end” (1 Cor. 15:22—24), clearly indi¬ 
cates—by the use of the word “afterward” and “then,” 
which words, by their use in the Greek, clearly indicate 
an interval of time taking place (cf. Mark 4:28: “For 
the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, 
then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear”)—a 
lapse of time between the resurrection of Christ (al¬ 
most 2,000 years have elapsed since Christ’s resurrec¬ 
tion), that of His saints and that of the wicked. One 
thouand years is said to elapse between the resurrection 
of the righteous and the wicked (Rev. 20:4-6). 

It was for this “out from among the dead” resurrec¬ 
tion for which Paul was striving so earnestly to be ac¬ 
counted worthy of. So Philippians 3:11—“If by any 
means I might attain unto the resurrection of (lit. out 
of or out from among) the dead.” It was no incentive 
to Paul simply to be assured that he would be raised 
from the dead at the last day; for he knew that all men 
would be thus raised (John 5: 28). He himself so taught 
(Acts 24:15). What Paul was striving for was to be 
counted worthy of that “first resurrection” (Rev. 
20:5), the “resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14), of 
the righteous from among the wicked (Phil. 3:11), the 
better resurrection (Heb. 11:35), the resurrec¬ 
tion of “life” (John 5: 29), of “everlasting life” (Dan. 
12:2), of “the dead in Christ” (1 Thess. 4:16), of 


THE PROGRAM 


85 


“them that are Christ’s” (1 Cor. 15:23), that resurrec¬ 
tion which shall admit into the millennial state (Rev. 
20 : 6 ). 

Is not Matthew 27: 52, 53 an illustration of what will 
take place at the “first resurrection”? In connection 
with the resurrection of Jesus Christ many saints were 
raised out from among the mass of the dead. The 
resurrection out from among the dead is the resurrec¬ 
tion unto life and glory. 

Further, Revelation 20: 4-6: ‘ ‘ And I saw thrones, and 
they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: 
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the 
witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which 
had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither 
had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their 
hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thou¬ 
sand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again 
until the thousand years were finished. This is the first 
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the 
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no 
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, 
and shall reign with him a thousand years,” clearly 
teaches that one thousand years separate the two resur¬ 
rections here referred to. The resurrection of believers 
takes place before , that of the wicked after the Millen¬ 
nium. 

The “first resurrection” is a literal resurrection— 
just as literal as, and no more “spiritual” than that de¬ 
scribed in verse 12 of this chapter. The resurrection 
of the saints—the “first” resurrection—is not to be un¬ 
derstood as “ a revival of the cause, principles, doctrines, 
character and spirit of the early martyrs and saints,” 
nor the spiritual quickening of dead souls into life. 


86 


THE COMING KING 


These were not ‘ ‘ spiritually dead, ’ ’ on the contrary, they 
are declared “blessed, holy, just and good.” Hence it 
is not a “spiritual’’ but a literal resurrection to which 
reference is here made. 

The “shout” of the Lord, “the voice of the archangel 
and the trump of God” will awake the righteous dead 
only. The word 11 shout’ ’ is interesting. It has been said 
that it is a word of command given by a general to his 
own army, a signal or sound not known to the opposing 
hosts. It comes from the Greek word “Keleuo” mean¬ 
ing “to give orders.” In this passage we have the only 
place in the New Testament in which this word “shout” 
(keleusma) is found. Other words translated “shout” 
are found such as (epiphonein) Acts 12:22 and Luke 
23:21, which refer to a loud shout made for or against 
a person. In 1 Thessalonians 4 we may say that the 
‘ ‘ shout ’ ’ will awaken only the 1 1 dead in Christ, ’ ’ even as 
the voice of Christ at the tomb in Bethany awakened 
only Lazarus from the dead. So will it be in that day 
when “the trump of God” (salpizo) “will sound aloud 
to attract the attention” of the saints of God. No 
“trumpet” sounds at the end of the thousand years of 
Revelation 20:1-6. 

The football signals which the spectators hear may 
mean nothing to them, but the participants on each side 
of the game recognize their meaning, and play accord¬ 
ingly. 

This call will take place when the “last trumpet” 
shall sound. By the word “last” here is not meant that 
it is the last in point of time. The word is taken from 
the Roman military code of signals and indicates the 
trumpet call for marching. So it may be said the first 
trumpet meant to fall in, the second for attention, and 


THE PROGRAM 


87 


the “last” (or third) to march. In 1 Corinthians 15:45, 
Christ, who is the “second Man,” is also called the “last 
Adam.” Thus the “second” in this instance is also the 
“last.” This thought is in accord with 1 Corinthians 
15:23: “But every man in his own order”—the word 
“order” meaning company, regiment, battalion. 

Just as Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, 
heard the voice of the Master calling him by name and 
came forth from the grave, so will it be in that day when 
the Lord shall ‘ ‘ descend from heaven with a shout, with 
the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, 
and the dead in Christ shall rise. ” “ Marvel not at this: 
for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in 
the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; 
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of 
life . . .” (John 5:28-29). What wonderful power 
there was in the voice of Christ! One sometimes feels 
that had He not called Lazarus by name, and said, 
“Lazarus, come forth,” so powerful was that voice, it 
would have penetrated the whole region of the dead, that 
every grave would have been emptied and every dead 
body would have come forth. 

Objection has been made to this “out from among the 
dead” theory, and a claim made for one general resur¬ 
rection. It is asserted that by the “first” resurrection 
is meant a “spiritual” resurrection, and that its use in 
Revelation 20:5, 6, refers particularly to “the revival 
of the spirit of the early martyrs.” Still, as one thinks 
about it, it would be difficult, perhaps we should say 
quite impossible, to “behead” ideas, nor can a “spirit” 
very well “sit on a throne.” Ordinarily we should say 
that “resurrection” has to do with bodies not with 
spirits. 


88 


THE COMING KING 


As supporting the doctrine of a general resurrection 
of all the dead at one time our attention is drawn to 
Acts 24:15, which reads as follows: * ‘ That there shall 
be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.’’ 
These words, it is urged, teach a simultaneous resurrec¬ 
tion of both the righteous and the wicked. But do they? 
Let us examine the context of the verse, the setting in 
which we find these words. It was the belief and teach¬ 
ing of the Pharisees that the resurrection would be con¬ 
fined to the bodies of the just only, many denying the 
resurrection of the wicked at all. Paul is correcting this 
misconception. So instead of teaching the simultaneous¬ 
ness of the resurrection of both the righteous and the 
wicked, he is teaching that there will be a resurrection of 
both, a fact which, as we have seen, was denied. Not one 
person, good or bad, shall escape the resurrection; no one 
shall remain in the grave; all shall come forth. This is 
Paul’s argument; he is claiming the universality, not the 
contemporaneousness of the resurrection of mankind. 

John 5:28 is also brought forth as an argument for 
one general resurrection. It reads: 1 ‘ Marvel not at this: 
for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs 
shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have 
done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that 
have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” We 
are told that the expression “the hour” settles the fact 
that all shall rise at the same “hour.” But, we ask, 
how long is that “hour”? How does Jesus Himself use 
the word “hour” right in this same connection? Look 
at verse 25: “ The hour cometh and now is, ’ ’ etc. This 
“hour” has lasted almost 2,000 years. Again, take 
Jesus’ own use of the same word in John 4:21: “The 
hour cometh—when ye shall worship the Father,” etc. 


THE PROGRAM 


89 


This hour also refers to all the time that has elapsed 
since our Lord’s day until now—some two thousand 
years. That “hour” “was then, is now, and ever shall 
be,” for always shall men worship the Father in spirit 
and truth. Thus we see both these “hours” are twice 
as long as the millennium period. How long the “last 
hour” or “last day” (John 6:39; cf. 2 Cor. 6:2; John 
9:4; Heb. 4:7, 8; John 8:56) will be, who can tell? 
They will be long enough for all these future events to 
transpire in, if that is the place for them to become ef¬ 
fective. 

“The dead in Christ—they are everywhere—under 
monumental piles, storied urn and marble bust; sleeping 
in unmarked graves; in the lonely churchyard, beneath 
the moaning waves of the restless sea; those who have 
died by rack, by stake and torture; those who have 
fallen in the fields of battle; those who have passed 
through the gates of disease and pain, and others who 
have gone as when the sun sets and its colours fade 
softly and quietly from the evening sky. ‘The dead in 
Christ shall rise first.’ ” 

What a wonderful truth: “The dead in Christ shall 
arise, shall put on immortality, shall be clothed with 
incorruption! The body of the child of God shall awake. 
What a miracle in this day when the supernatural is 
denied! This body in which we have sinned, suffered, 
ached, pained, groaned, died; that has been put into the 
grave; this body shall rise again. Darkness may over¬ 
shadow it; the chill and damp of the tomb may mould it; 
worms may eat it; the elements may dissolve it, yea, an¬ 
nihilate it, but glory be to God, it shall rise triumphant 
over death and the grave.” Hast thou this flower of 
faith in the garden of thy heart? Canst thou, my soul, 


90 


THE COMING KING 


canst thou lift up thy voice and sing, “I know that my 
Redeemer liveth, and because He lives, I too, I too, 
shall live”? Come, my soul, why art thou cast down, 
and why art thou disquieted within me? Knowest thou 
not, O child of the dust, that thou art heir to immortality 
and incorruption? 

The Glorified Bodies of the Righteous 

The question may be asked, with what body do the 
righteous come forth from the grave? After all, it is a 
question immaterial, for God is able to give every be¬ 
liever’s soul a body “as it hath pleased him.” Because 
the Scriptures teach a literal resurrection of the body it 
is not necessary to insist on the resurrection of exactly 
the very same body—hair, tooth, nail, etc.—that was laid 
under the ground. “It is not necessary, for example, 
for the validity of the resurrection of the body, to main¬ 
tain or defend the idea that, at the resurrection, we are 
to see limbs, amputated or lost in battle or by accident in 
far-away lands, flying across the seas to join the body.” 

The analogy of nature ought to teach us this: “But 
some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and 
with what body do they come? . . . Thou sowest 
not that body that shall be” (1 Cor. 15:35-37). The 
identity is preserved —that is all we need to insist upon. 
What the identity tie is we may not yet know. After 
all it is not so much a question of material identity as 
of glorified individuality. The growth of the seed shows 
that there may be personal identity under a complete 
change of physical conditions. 

The saying of Jesus: “They are the children of the 
resurrection” (Luke 20:36), sheds some light at least 
on this phase of the resurrection. In this world it takes 


THE PROGRAM 


91 


a long time to prepare and develop the human body to 
its maturity. From the moment of its conception it 
passes through many changes, phases of growth and 
transitions ere it reaches its fullness of stature. But in the 
resurrection it is not so. Instantly, “in a moment, in the 
twinkling of an eye” God will then do for the bodies of 
believers what it has taken many years here to accom¬ 
plish. All this will be “according to the working of the 
might of the power of his strength.” (See Phil. 3:20, 
21 .) 

Four things may be said about the resurrection body: 
first, it is not necessarily identical in matter with that 
which descended into the grave; second, it will have some 
organic connection with that which descended into the 
grave; third, it will be a body which God, in His sov¬ 
ereignty, will bestow; fourth, it will be a body which 
will be a vast improvement over the old one. (See 1 
Cor. 15:35-54.) 

Shall we know our loved ones, those whom we have 
“loved long since and lost awhile,” when we see them 
over yonder? Certainly, for they shall be 

Not changed, but glorified! 0 beauteous thought 
For those who weep, 

Mourning the loss of some dear face departed, 
Fallen asleep! 

How will it look ? the face that we have cherished, 

Hushed into silence, never more to comfort 
The hearts of men; 

Gone like the shadows of another country 
Beyond our ken? 

“How will it look, the face that we have cherished, 
When next we meet? 

Will it be changed—so glorified and saintly 
That we shall know it not ? 


92 


THE COMING KING 


Will there be nothing that will say, ‘I love thee, 
And I have not forgot?’ 

Oh, faithful heart! the same loved face, transfigured, 
Shall meet thee there 
Less sad, less wistful, in immortal beauty 
Divinely fair. 

“Let us be patient, we who mourn with weeping 
Some vanished face; 

The Lord has taken, but to add more beauty 
And a diviner grace. ’ ’ 


What a glorious thought that believers die in hope! 
It is for this reason that the apostle exhorts us to “sor¬ 
row not as do others who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13- 
18). The word “sorrow” as used here indicates inward 
grief as contrasted with outward manifestations of grief. 
With such a hope for our beloved dead, why should we 
grieve as others who have no such hope? 

How awful it is to have no such hope! To see our 
loved ones die and pass away from our sight and never 
to see them again! 

What a blessed comfort is this resurrection thought 
to the believer! We should go to our graves “not as the 
dog whipped to his kennel, or as the prisoner scourged 
to his dungeon, but as the prince who wraps around him 
the drapery of his couch and lies down to pleasant 
dreams. ’ ’ 

“We shall sleep but not forever, 

There will be a glorious dawn, 

We shall meet to part, no never, 

On that resurrection morn.” 

Surely God will not neglect His saints whose bodies 


THE PROGRAM 


93 


have been placed beneath the sod. “If the Father deigns 
to touch with divine power the cold and pulseless heart 
of the buried acorn and to make it burst forth from its 
prison walls, will He leave neglected in the earth the 
soul of man made in the image of his Creator? If He 
stoops to give to the rose-bush, whose withered blossoms 
float upon the autumn breeze, the sweet promise of an¬ 
other summer-time, will He refuse the word of hope and 
cheer to the sons of men when the frosts of winter come ? 
If matter, mute and inanimate, though changed by the 
forces of nature into a multitude of forms, can never die, 
will the spirit of man suffer annihilation after it has 
paid a brief visit, like a royal guest, to this tenement of 
clay? No. I am as sure that there is another life as I 
am that I live to-day. When I was in Cairo, I secured a 
few grains of wheat that had slumbered for over three 
thousand years in an Egyptian tomb. As I looked at 
them, this thought came into my mind: if one of these 
grains of wheat had been planted on the banks of the 
Nile the year after it grew, and all its lineal descendants 
had been planted and replanted from that day until 
now, its progeny would, to-day, be sufficiently numerous 
to feed the teeming millions of the world. There is in 
the grain of wheat an invisible something which has 
power to discard the body that we see, and from earth 
and air to fashion for itself a new body so much like the 
old one that you cannot tell the one from the other. 
And if this invisible germ of life in the grain of wheat 
can thus pass unimpaired through three thousand resur¬ 
rections, I shall not doubt that my soul has power to 
take to itself a new body suited to its new conditions 
when this earthly frame shall have crumbled to dust” 
(W. J. Bryan). 


94 


THE COMING KING 


(2) The Transformation of the Bodies of the Saints 
Alive on the Earth at the Time of the Lord’s Coming. 

11 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with 
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the 
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up 
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in 
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 
Thess. 4:16-17). 

“Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, 
but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twin¬ 
kling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall 
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and 
we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on 
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, 
and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall 
be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is 
swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? 
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is 
sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be 
to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord 
Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:51-57). 

“For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait 
for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall fashion 
anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be con¬ 
formed to the body of his glory, according to the work¬ 
ing whereby he is able even to subject all things unto 
himself” (Phil. 3: 20-21, R. V.). 

“For we know that if our earthly house of this taber¬ 
nacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an 
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For 
we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; 


THE PROGRAM 


95 


not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon 
that mortality might be swallowed up of life’ ? (2 Cor. 
5:1,4). 

We often hear it said that death is certain for all men, 
and, in corroboration of the statement, Hebrews 9:27 is 
quoted (or rather misquoted). This passage declares 
that it is ‘‘appointed unto men (not all men) once to 
die.” Death is not appointed unto all men; not every 
human being will die. Some saints will be “alive and 
remain unto the coming of the Lord.” “We shall not 
all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51). 
1 Thessalonians 5:10: “ Whether we are awake or sleep¬ 
ing (dead or alive) when the Lord comes, we shall live 
together with him.” It may be that you, reader, may 
be among those who shall not taste of death but shall see 
the Son of Man coming in His glory (cf. Matt. 16: 28). 
Paul does not say it is absolutely certain that the earthly 
house of his tabernacle will be dissolved, but if it should, 
he is assured of a new body, “a house not made with 
hands, eternal in the heavens” (cf. 2 Cor. 5:1). Neither 
Enoch (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5) nor Elijah (2 Kings 
2:11) saw death, but were translated without dying. 
It has been the hope of believers throughout all the 
Christian centuries that they would be among those who 
were “alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord.” 
Why may not some of us be among that number? If 
the Apostles and early Christians had a right reasonably 
to expect such a blessed hope, why may not we, who are 
so much nearer that Coming after the lapse of all these 
centuries than were they, expect to see His coming ? 

“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” 
(1 Cor. 15: 50). These bodies of ours must be changed. 
Here, on earth, blood is the life of the body; there, in 


96 


THE COMING KING 


that heavenly state, the spirit is its life. These bodies 
“of our humiliation ’ 9 must be changed like unto the 
body of Christ’s glory (cf. Phil. 3: 20, 21). ‘‘It hath not 
yet been manifested what we shall be, but we know that 
when he (or it, E. V.) shall be manifested we shall be 
like him” (cf. 1 John 3:2). “ And as we have borne the 
image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the 
heavenly” (1 Cor. 15:49). We shall regain in Christ 
the image of God which we lost in Adam (cf. Gen. 1: 26 
with 5:1, 2; Col. 3:10; Eph, 4:24), yea, we “shall be 
like him, and that will be even greater glory than to be 
like unfallen Adam.” As some one has well said, The 
“type” of Eden was not the creature, but the Creator; 
so we have the words, “Let us make man in our image, 
after our likeness.” It is interesting to note that after 
his sin, “Adam begat a son in his own image,” after 
“his own likeness” (not God’s; Gen. 5:2). 

We shall regain, in Christ, the image of God which 
we lost in Adam. It is said that the bodies of Adam and 
Eve were shining, glorious bodies before their fall (cf. 
2 Cor. 3:18; 4:4-6; Phil. 3:20, 21). 

Weymouth, in his “New Testament in Modern 
Speech,” has an interesting rendering of Philippians 
3: 20, 21. It is as follows: “We are waiting with long¬ 
ing expectation for the coming from heaven of a Sav¬ 
iour, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, in the exercise of the 
power which He has even to subdue all things to Him¬ 
self, will transform these bodies of our humiliation until 
they resemble the body of His glory. ’ 9 

Here is another “shall.” “We shall all be changed.” 
Another wondrous miracle. ‘ ‘ Theologians may maintain 
a strange silence about it; the scoffings of the worldling 
may be leveled at it; the indifference of nominal Chris- 


THE PROGRAM 


97 


tians may push it into the background/’ but glory be 
to God it shall come to pass. The Word of God is full 
of divine “shalls” concerning it, and they are the fiats 
of God: ‘‘The Lord shall descend from heaven.” “The 
dead in Christ shall be raised.” “We shall not all 
sleep.” “We shall all be changed.” “We that are 
alive and remain shall be caught up.” “This mortal 
shall put on immortality.” “This corruption shall put 
on incorruption.” So shall we ever be with the Lord. 
Behold, 0 child of God, the glorious certainties of Chris¬ 
tian faith! 

“Soon will our Saviour from heaven appear; 
Sweet is the hope and its power to cheer; 

All will be changed by a glimpse of His face—• 
This is the goal at the end of our race! 

“Loneliness changed to reunion complete, 

Absence exchanged for a place at His feet, 
Sleeping ones raised in a moment of time, 

Living ones changed to His image sublime! 

“Weakness will change to magnificent strength, 
Failure will change to perfection at length, 
Sorrow will change to unending delight, 
Walking by faith changed to walking by sight!” 

(3) The Rapture of the Saints to be with the Lord in 
the Air. 

‘ ‘ Then we which are alive and remain unto the coming 
of the Lord, shall be caught up together with them in 
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we 
ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). 

Not by the world will Christ be seen at this stage of 
His Coming. Christ is here concerned not with “Jew” 
or “Gentile” as such, but with “the Church of God” 


98 


THE COMING KING 


(1 Cor. 10: 32). In this sense only is it a “secret ’ 9 rap¬ 
ture. The whole Church, however, not a part of it only, 
as some (who would put a forced meaning onto the 
words “unto them that look for him,” or, as the Ameri¬ 
can Revision puts it, “to them that wait for him,” Heb. 
9:28) would have us believe. What reckons a man 
a saint is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal 
Saviour. A poor, weak specimen of a Christian such an 
one may be, but a Christian, in fact, he is, and as one 
who has really accepted Christ as Saviour he is to be 
counted among the number who will “meet the Lord in 
the air” when He comes. After all it is not the amount 
of faith, indeed, properly speaking, it is not even faith, 
that saves—it is Christ. Faith in anything or any one 
else than Christ would not save. Faith is the hand that 
reaches out and lays hold of Christ. The coupling con¬ 
nects the cars to the engine; but it is the engine, not the 
coupling, that moves the train. The whole of our salva¬ 
tion from start to finish is all of grace (Eph. 2:8-10). 

The righteous dead raised, and the righteous living 
changed, will be caught up “together.” The word “to¬ 
gether” is an adverb of time not of place and indicates 
simultaneousness. Thus all the saints of God shall be 
caught up together to meet the Lord. 

This meeting is to be “in the air.” From the Scrip¬ 
tures wo learn that the “air” or the “heavenlies” is 
filled with evil principalities and powers, wicked spirits 
and Satan, as well as good angels. * ‘ To the intent that 
now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly 
places might be known by the Church the manifold wis¬ 
dom of God” (Eph. 3:10). “For we wrestle not against 
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against pow¬ 
ers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, 


THE PEOGEAM 


99 


against spiritual wickedness in high places ” (Eph. 
6:16). 

Of these spiritual antagonists, too many Christians 
are sadly ignorant, not knowing the centre of their con¬ 
flict, and thus meet defeat instead of victory in their re¬ 
ligious experience. Spiritual hosts of wickedness are 
found about us rather than below us (cf. 2 Kings 6:16, 
17). Electricity, which to-day is so common but which 
previous to 1875 was very little known, was nevertheless 
in the air just as much then as it is now, even though 
men knew it not. 

Christ, at the time of His ascension, when He “ passed 
up through the heavens” (Heb. 4:14; 7:26), doubtless 
had to combat the evil principalities and powers that 
naturally resisted His passing through the heavens to 
present His finished work in behalf of His people before 
God. May it not be that those same evil principalities 
and powers will contest His coming for His people, when 
He shall raise the righteous dead, change the righteous 
living, and take His people to be with Himself forever ? 

Where is the devil ? Where does he dwell ? He is not 
in hell, as many people think (cf. Eev. 20:10); on the 
contrary, he is in the “heavenly places” (cf. Job chaps. 
1 and 2; Eev. 12:10-12; Eph. 6:10-12; Zech. 3:1-5). 
He is not below; he is above. He is not debased in the 
abyss; he is enthroned in the air (cf. Eph. 2:2; Job 
1: 6-2: 7; Zech. 3:1-2). Satan is above, in the heaven- 
lies, spying the movements of mankind, and with keen 
cunning planning his campaign against the sons of men. 
Into this “air,” cleared of evil principalities and powers, 
Christ gathers His people to be with Himself. 

It has been thought by some that because of a use of 
this same phrase “caught up,” both by Paul (2 Cor. 


.> 


■> 


100 


THE COMING KING 


12:2, 4, where the reference is said to be perhaps to the 
“spirit” rather than to the “body” of the apostle), and 
John (Rev. 12: 5) that perhaps the bodies of the saints 
may be left behind upon the earth to decay, while their 
“spirits” alone go to be with Christ, just as takes place 
now in death. It is, however, a question whether Paul’s 
reference is to a translation of his “spirit” rather than 
his “body.” Indeed he says he did not quite know 
whether he was in the body or out of it when he was 
“caught up” to Paradise. The passage in Revelation 
(chap. 12) pertaining to the “Child” of the “sun- 
clothed woman” being “caught up” would seem to teach 
that it was caught up both body and spirit. So there 
is really nothing in either of these passages to militate 
against a bodily rapture of the saints, and there is so 
much reference made to the changing of the bodies of 
the saints into a state different from that which they 
have maintained while on earth before they can be 
translated to heaven (1 Cor. 15: 51-57; Phil. 3: 20, 21), 
that we are inclined to maintain the translation of the 
bodies of the saints to heaven, transfigured and trans¬ 
formed into the glorious image of the body of our blessed 
Lord, of course. Then, too, it is the teaching of the 
Scripture that our bodies are the subjects of redemptive 
love and are to share in the future glory (Rom. 8:23; 
Eph. 1:13; Phil. 3 : 20, 21; 1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:18-20). 

One cannot but look upon that spirit as sacrilegious 
which, in belittling the ‘ * rapture of the saints, ’ ’ pictures 
it as a “ludicrous sight, a lot of bodies dangling in the 
air,” and “That meeting in the air.” We pray for a 
more reverent spirit than that. The God who could hang 
the circle of the earth upon nothing, who could translate 
bodily into the heavens Enoch, Elijah, Jesus, is not to 


THE PROGRAM 


101 


be laughed at. Further we have here one of the “shalls” 
of God; “we that are alive and remain shall be caught 
up to meet the Lord in the air.” This is a fiat of God— 
challenge it who dare! 

The words “caught up” (arpazo) mean to seize, to 
suddenly snatch as one’s own and thus to vindicate one’s 
right to it. Cannot God care for and take His own to be 
with Himself? Compare John 10:27-29. None can 
snatch them out of His hand. 

We know well what is said of the difficulties of such 
an act—the raptures of the saints—as viewed from the 
standpoint of the law of gravitation, but such things 
have happened before, as in the case of Enoch, Elijah 
and Christ. Jesus Christ is the magnet. “Just as the 
needle of every compass in Europe, Asia, America and 
the seas that lie between, points to the magnetic pole, 
so will the saints in that day be drawn to Christ above. 
Take steel filings and cover them thinly with soil. From 
above lower a powerful magnet. Quickly every particle 
of steel is caught up and they all cling to the magnet. 
The soil is left behind. So the holy Saviour, drawing 
near, catches up His holy saints. The impure are left 
behind” (Silver). 

What a solemn moment that will be when the trumpet 
shall sound, and the voice of the Lord be heard, and all 
the saints caught up to meet Christ, to be with Him in 
the glory forever! How unspeakably solemn it will be 
for those who happen to be left behind! What surprises 
there will be at that time! Many whom we expect to 
be caught up will be left behind, and, doubtless, many 
whom we expected would be left behind will be taken up. 

Not with the whole, visible, professing Church will 
Christ deal at this time, however. Just as “they are not 


102 


THE COMING KING 


all Israel that are of Israel, ” so not all that call them¬ 
selves Christians and whose names are enrolled on the 
pages of the church registers of earth, are really Chris¬ 
tians and belong to “the Church’’ in the sense in which 
believers are spoken of in the New Testament when the 
body of Christ is referred to. 

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the 
will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say 
to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied 
in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? 
and in thy name done many wonderful works? And 
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart 
from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever 
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will 
liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a 
rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and 
the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell 
not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one 
that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, 
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house 
upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods 
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; 
and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matt. 7:21- 
27). 

‘ ‘ Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say 
unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 
When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath 
shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to 
knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; 
and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not 
whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have 
eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught 


THE PROGRAM 


103 


in onr streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you 
not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of 
iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, 
when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and 
all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you your¬ 
selves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, 
and from the west, and from the north, and from the 
south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, 
behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are 
first which shall be last” (Luke 13: 24-30). 

The following dream, quoted from a pamphlet, is sug¬ 
gestive: One evening at our family worship, I read 1 
Thessalonians, verse 4. Before retiring, I seated my¬ 
self on my easy chair, and mused on the last verses. I 
dreamed I wakened in the morning, and was surprised 
to find that my wife was not beside me. Supposing her 
absence but temporary, I waited, expecting her speedy 
return; but as, after a reasonable time, she did not come, 
I rose and dressed. Her apparel was where she had 
placed it on retiring, and I felt confident that she was 
about the house. I went to daughter Julia’s room, but 
after knocking several times without response, I entered, 
and found that she also was missing. £ ‘ Strange, passing 
strange,” said I: “where can they both be?” Then I 
went to our son Frank. He said he had passed a rest¬ 
less night. I told him of the absence of his mother and 
sister, and requested him to see if he could find them. 
Soon he returned and said the missing ones were not to 
be found, and that every door was locked, as on the 
preceding evening. What to make of this strange oc¬ 
currence we did not know. On again visiting Julia’s 
room, we found her well-marked, open Bible. One verse 
attracted my attention, “Be ye also ready, for in such 


104 


THE COMING KING 


an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh. ’ ’ This 
passage, my wife had always declared, referred to the 
coming of Christ, while I insisted that it meant only 
preparation for death. But I am digressing. Frank 
and I concluded that we should each take a different 
route, and visit some of our intimate friends in quest of 
our dear ones. 

I called on my wife’s sister, Mrs. E-. She and 

her husband were good, respectable people, members of a 
Christian church, though worldly minded. After I had 
rung the bell several times she appeared and apologized, 
saying that she had to prepare breakfast, for the coloured 
servant whom she had considered a Christian, had played 
her a mean trick. She had gone off somewhere, without 
even putting the kettle on the range, or saying a word. 

‘ ‘ But what puzzled us is, how she got out of the house, 
for the doors are all locked and the keys inside, just as 
we left them last evening on our return from the progres¬ 
sive euchre party.” 

“Indeed,” said I, “it is exceedingly strange,” and I 
explained the object of my morning visit. When she 
heard of the mysterious absence of my wife and Julia, 
she became so nervous I was glad to change the subject 
by saying that as I had not breakfasted, I would join 
them. Her husband heard my story with a good deal of 
levity, and declared that my wife was playing me a 
practical joke. He was sure the missing ones had se¬ 
creted themselves about the house, and, when I returned, 

I would find them all right. At the table, Mrs. E- 

said we would have to take coffee without milk, as the 
milkman had failed to make his appearance. 

Presently the bell rang, and Frank entered in great 
excitement, saying he had been all over inquiring for his 




THE PROGRAM 


105 


mother, and that in every house he found trouble similar . 
to our own. Almost every one was searching for missing 
ones. The streets were thronged with excited people 
hurrying to and fro, many of them weeping bitterly. 

Then Mr. E- showed signs of alarm, and related a 

conversation he had held yesterday with a friend, whom 
he had looked upon as heretical. His friend insisted that 
a majority of church members in these days were but 
nominal Christians, “lovers of pleasure rather than lov¬ 
ers of God.” That the Scripture clearly taught that 
when the elect number of Christ ’s Church would be com¬ 
pleted, Christ would come unexpectedly and call His 
saints, both dead and alive, to meet Him in the air. The 
transformation would be effected in the twinkling of an 
eye, and although the call would be made with a shout 
and sound of a trumpet, none would hear it but those 
for whom it was intended. Then would be realized 
Christ’s words. 

As the morning was far advanced, it was suggested 
that we go to our business places. Frank had already 
gone, and I, with a heavy heart, wended my way along 
the avenue among an unusual throng of men and women 
whose faces betokened intense sorrow. Many stores were 
closed, and those that were open did not appear to be 
doing any business. When I reached my own store, I 
found that my bookkeeper and the faithful old porter, 
who had served me so many years, had not yet put in an 
appearance. My other two clerks were on hand, doing 
nothing, nor did I feel like asking them to do anything. 

I went to the Chamber of Commerce, and found the 
largest gathering of merchants that I had seen in months. 
Instead of the lively, noisy bustle, a solemn gloom per¬ 
vaded the assembly. By unanimous consent, it was voted 



106 


THE COMING KING 


that “three days’ grace be allowed on all contracts fall¬ 
ing due on this day.” I will not set forth any of the 
speculations as to the cause of our present trouble, but 
all agreed that the visitation was a supernatural one and 
that in some way we who were left were blamable. 

In the evening nearly every church in the city was 
open, with overflowing congregations. Everybody was 
anxious to know the cause and meaning of the 4 4 great 
visitation.” Many of the pastors had gone, but some 
were present in their churches. All order of service was 
dispensed with, and noisy confusion prevailed; crimina¬ 
tion and recrimination were bandied to and fro between 
pastors and people, the latter asserting that if the pastors 
had done their duty, and taught their flocks the plain 
truths of the Bible, instead of lulling them to sleep with 
philosophical and moral essays, they would not now be 
in their present sad condition. In my own church the 
pastor was present, with scores of persons whom I had 
but rarely seen at meetings. Audible groans and deep- 
drawn sighs were heard from various parts of the room. 
Some were bemoaning the loss of children, others of 
husbands, of wives, of fathers and mothers. The pastor 
was speaking when I entered, entreating the audience to 
allay their feelings. He said, “None of you can realize 
the keen disappointment I experience at this result of 
my labours. I am accused of having preached too much 
about the affairs of this life, and too little about the 
things to come, and of having kept you in ignorance of 
the imminence of this awful visitation. I can only say 
that I have taught you the same theology that was taught 
in the college; to treat the Bible as a book of spiritual 
symbols and allegories. But I confess that I was sadly 
mistaken, for after what has occurred I cannot help be- 


THE PROGRAM 


107 


lieving that God’s Word means just what it says.” Here 
the electric light suddenly went out, and there arose such 
fearful screams that I sprang to my feet in terror—and 
awoke. My wife came from the adjoining room to see 
what was the matter. Oh, how glad I was to see her, 
and to realize that the terrible experience was only a 
dream! But the more I thought of it, the more solemn 
seemed the Scripture truths which it contained, and the 
more was I impressed with the importance of being ready 
for the coming of the Lord. 


No Partial Rapture . 

All the Saints Will Be Caught Up 

There are those who maintain that, when Christ comes 
to receive “his own” to be with Himself, not all Chris¬ 
tians will be caught up; that all Christians are not 1 ‘ the 
Church”; that there is an “elect body” within the as¬ 
sembly of believers which is “the Church” properly 
speaking; that such an “elect” body is characterized by 
“conformity to the image of his Son” and by “earnestly 
waiting, looking for and hastening the coming of Jesus 
Christ”; that those believers who are not thus “con¬ 
formed to the image of his Son” now and here in this 
life, and are not “looking for, earnestly expecting,” yea, 
and doing all they can to “hasten” the coming of Christ 
will be left behind when Christ comes for His Church, 
and will be compelled to go through the tribulations 
(either partially or entire), thus becoming “the tribu¬ 
lation saints”; that the parable of the Ten Virgins 
teaches that some Christians shall be shut out of the 
marriage festivities, though not finally lost, though they 
will be cast “into the outer darkness”—an expression 


108 


THE COMING KING 


which is said to denote not loss of salvation but the 
necessity of going through “the tribulation.’’ 

Let us examine these statements and see if they are 
corroborated by the Scriptures: 

In the first place Paul’s declaration that “we that 
are alive and remain” (1 Thess. 4:17), referring, very 
clearly, it seems to us, to all those who have not “died” 
in Christ (that is, all those who having believed in Christ 
shall be living when He comes), makes no such distinc¬ 
tion between believers, but asserts that every child of 
God will be caught up when Jesus comes. The same 
thing may be said of his statements in 1 Corinthians 
15:51, 52: “We shall all be changed . . . and we 
shall be changed,” referring, as is clear from the text 
and context, to all the Christian living as contrasted with 
all the Christian dead who shall be raised simultaneously 
with the transformation of the Christian living. 

In the next place, it seems to us to be the clear teach¬ 
ing of the Scriptures, that every believer in Jesus Christ 
is a member of the Church, of the Body (so called when 
its vital organic relation to Christ is referred to) and the 
Bride (so called when the relation of love and affection 
is referred to) of Christ. According to 1 Corinthians 
12, it is faith in Jesus Christ that makes it possible for 
a man to be “baptized into the Body of Jesus Christ by 
the Holy Spirit.” Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—not 
any act of faithfulness or watchfulness thereafter con¬ 
stitutes a man a member of the Body of Christ. It is in 
this sense that the Scriptures teach that the Church as 
a whole is “elect” (1 Pet. 1:1; 2:9, 10; Titus 1:1; 
Rom. 8: 33). 

Further, while it is granted that “election” involves 
“conformity to the image of his Son,” and while it is 


THE PROGRAM 


109 


true that there are many thousands of Christians who do 
not manifest such conformity, the question may legiti¬ 
mately be raised as to whether, first, any real child of 
God can be such and be not in some degree, at least, con¬ 
formed to that divine image; second, whether such an 
expression may not be true of every believer’s standing, 
even though it may not be very characteristic of his 
state; third, whether such an expression should be con¬ 
fined absolutely to the believer’s condition here and now, 
instead of the future; and, finally, why may it not be 
true that the believer is being conformed to that image 
and will finally reach its perfection at Christ’s coming 
(1 Thess. 5:23, R. V.) ? 

It should be clearly understood that “conformity in 
the image of his Son” is not the only mark and purpose 
of ‘ < election. ’ ’ For example, in Ephesians 1: 5, we read 
of foreordination “unto the adoption of sons,” and in 
1:11, of being foreordained “for a heritage.” In 1 
Thessalonians 5:8, 9, we are “appointed (predestined) 
unto the obtaining of salvation.” It should be clear 
from these references that “election” involves more 
than “conformity to the image of his Son.” So it fol¬ 
lows that some who may not show as much ‘ ‘ conformity ’ ’ 
as others, perhaps none at all to some human eyes, may 
yet be among those whom Christ shall receive to Himself 
when He comes. 

But is it not true that all believers are being trans¬ 
formed into Christlikeness here and now? So 2 Corin¬ 
thians 3:18: “But we all . . . are (being trans¬ 

formed—present participle) transformed into the same 
image.” Colossians 3:10: “being renewed unto knowl¬ 
edge after the image of him that created him. ’ ’ Indeed 
can we not say of this “conformity” as we say of “sane- 


110 


THE COMING KING 


tification ’’ that it is looked upon as an accomplished fact 
even while the process is going on? We find no diffi¬ 
culty in saying that the believer is now sanctified (that 
is, the moment he believes, cf. 1 Cor. 6:11; Heb. 10:10- 
14) ; that he is being sanctified (that is the process of 
going on: cf. Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; 2 Pet. 3:18; Heb. 
12:14) ; and that some day he will be perfectly sanctified 
(when he shall see Christ at His Coming, 1 Thess. 5:23, 
R. V.; Col. 1: 22). Why should we then not be able to 
say the same thing about the believer relative to his 
being conformed to the image of Christ? I believe we 
can. That he is to be thus “conformed’’ when he sees 
Christ is clear from such passages as 1 John 3:2; Philip- 
pians 3: 20, 21; 1 Corinthians 15:49; Colossians 3: 4. 

It is maintained by those who believe in a “partial” 
rapture that only those who are “earnestly looking for 
the coming of Christ” will be caught up; the rest of 
the Christians will have to go through the tribulation. 
This belief is based on such passages as Hebrews 9:28: 
“And unto them that look for him shall he appear the 
second time without sin unto salvation.” 

There are two or three things about this passage, how¬ 
ever, that should be noted ere we rest such a conclusion 
on it. In the first place, the Revised Version gives the 
word “wait” instead of “look” for Him. That in itself 
is important, for it reminds us of Paul’s use of the same 
word as characteristic of the whole Church’s attitude in 
1 Corinthians 1: 7—‘ 4 So that ye come behind in no gift 
waiting for the coming of the Lord”; also the word of 
Titus (2:13) in which the true attitude of the whole 
Church is set forth as “looking for the blessed hope and 
the appearing of . . . the Saviour.” 

Further, it is doubtful if the word “look” 


or even 


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111 


“wait” is used to remind us of the oriental custom of 
being on the lookout for the bridegroom (for which see 
Matt. 25:1-15; also Matt. 24:43; Luke 12:38; John 
14:19, 21; 16 :17; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 5:2; Heb. 12:14; 
Rev. 3:3). Were such absolutely the case, then it might 
be, as in the case of the “foolish virgins,” that some 
true believers might be excluded from the festivities at¬ 
tending the advent of the bridegroom. Nor should we 
forget, in this instance of the rapture of the Church, 
that the entire Church is the Bride, and that it is the 
entire Church to which the Bridegroom is united; so the 
analogy of an oriental wedding is not quite to the point 
here. 

The real point of emphasis, in our judgment, in He¬ 
brews 9:28 is not upon the attitude of the Church at 
all, either as “waiting” or “looking” for the Coming 
Lord. The emphatic lesson of this verse lies in the con¬ 
trast which the writer draws between the “outlook” (or 
“expectation”) of the believer—which is one “without 
sin, unto salvation” (9:28), and the “outlook” of the 
unbeliever which is one of “fearful looking for (or “ex¬ 
pectation”) judgment and fury of fire which will devour 
the enemies of truth” (10: 27-29). Not until 9: 28 and 
10: 27-29 are seen in their contrasts will the true teach¬ 
ing of 9:28 be understood. The emphasis is not on the 
look, but on the outlook. In the case of the saints it is 
one of joy; while to the wicked, it is one of fearful judg¬ 
ment. 

The same contrast is brought out, we think, in the pas¬ 
sage in 2 Peter (3:10-13) in which are the words “look¬ 
ing for and hastening” (or as the Revised Version has 
it: “looking for and earnestly desiring”) the coming of 
the Lord (as in John 8:56: “Your father Abraham re- 


112 


THE COMING KING 


joiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad”); it 
was as though Abraham, by constantly looking for that 
day, actually hastened it. A careful reading of this pas¬ 
sage reveals the contrast between the hope and fear of 
the coming of our blessed Lord. 

What a wonderful experience that will be! Then the 
prayer of Christ that His own may be with Him in 
heaven to behold His glory (John 17:24) will be ful¬ 
filled. That glorious promise of His, too, will be real¬ 
ized : ^ ^ If any man serve me, let him follow me; and 
where I am, there also shall my servant be” (John 12: 
26). Face to Face with the King! 

“Face to face with Christ my Saviour, 

Face to face what will it be, 

When with rapture I behold Him: 

Jesus Christ, Who died for me?” 

This is the truth that is giving comfort, cheer, confi¬ 
dence, inspiration and hope to-day to many who are liv¬ 
ing in the shadows. The present darkness will give way 
to future light; the present sorrow to future joy; the 
present loss to future gain; the present emptiness to 
future fullness; the present solitariness to future fellow¬ 
ship in the presence of the living, eternal, loving Lord 
and our loved ones who have died in Him. 

Again, those who teach the “partial rapture” base 
their belief on the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matt. 
25:1-13). It is inferred, by those who hold this view, 
that all the Virgins represent Christians; the “foolish” 
virgins representing Christians who are not looking for 
and are not prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom, 
and who, at the coming of the Lord, will be left behind 
to go through “the great tribulation,” being shut out of 


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113 


the wedding feast. In this instance, ‘ 1 exclusion from the 
wedding feast ’ 9 and “the outer darkness where there is 
weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth” (which was 
the doom of the “servant who hid his one talent in the 
earth,” Matt. 25:14-30) are equivalent to “going 
through the tribulation.” The five “foolish virgins” 
and the “unprofitable servant,” therefore, are said to 
represent those Christians who are not looking for, nor 
are ready for the coming of the Lord. 

Let us examine the parables of “the Ten Virgins” and 
“The Unprofitable Servant,” and see if they will bear 
any such interpretation. In the first place, the Ten 
Virgins do not represent the Church; it is not the Church 
but “the kingdom of heaven” that is likened to Ten 
Virgins. The “kingdom of heaven” represents Chris¬ 
tendom, the professing Church, not the real Church, 
which is the Body and Bride of Christ. 

Secondly, the phrases “wise” and “foolish” remind 
us of similar expressions used by our Lord in this same 
Gospel (see 7:24-29). The “wise” man was the man 
who built his house upon the rock, who not only heard 
but obeyed the teachings of the Christ. The “foolish” 
man was the man who built his house upon the sand, who 
heard but did not obey the teachings of the Lord. The 
“wise” man was saved; the “foolish” man was lost. 
Further, the words, “I know you not” (Matt. 25:12) 
spoken to the “foolish virgins” are similar to those ad¬ 
dressed to the mere professors of religion—the “foolish” 
builders in Matthew 7:21-23, cf. 2 Timothy 3:5. A 
similar expression is used to denote those who are abso¬ 
lutely shut out of the kingdom (Luke 13: 24-30). It is 
difficult for us, therefore, to see how the “foolish virgins” 
and the “unfaithful servant” were simply barred out of 


114 


THE COMING KING 


the festivities temporarily. The phrases used to denote 
their fate indicate, in our judgment, a finally lost condi¬ 
tion (cf. Luke 13: 28-30). 

In the third place, it seems to be beside the facts in 
the case to say that the “five foolish virgins’’ represent 
the Christians who are not looking for and waiting for 
the coming Bridegroom, for if there is one thing that 
stands out clearly in the narrative it is the fact that the 
very thing they were doing was that of looking and wait¬ 
ing for the Bridegroom. Indeed, perhaps it is not too 
much to say that they made some preparation for his 
coming. It may not have been the right kind of prepara¬ 
tion ; it may have been but profession and true grace of 
God in the heart—all of this may be, doubtless is, true, 
nevertheless the striking fact is there: These ‘ ‘ five foolish 
virgins” went out to meet the bridegroom just as much 
as did the “five wise virgins.” It does not seem fair, 
then, to liken the “foolish virgins” to those Christians 
who are not looking for the coming of the Lord. Rather, 
it would seem to us, ought we to say that they perhaps 
better represent those professing Christians to-day who, 
to all appearances, are Christians and waiting for the 
coming Lord, but who are mere professors, minus the 
true saving grace of God in their hearts (cf. Matt. 7: 21- 
23, cf. 2 Tim. 3:5). 

It is interesting to note in this connection that “that 
servant” who did not watch for his Lord’s coming and is 
therefore “a wicked servant” (Matt. 24: 45-51), is “cast 
into the outer darkness where there is weeping and wail¬ 
ing and gnashing of teeth,” just as is the “unprofitable 
servant” in Matthew 25:30. Further, they are both 
described as “bond-servants” (24:50 and 25:30). Of 
this surely there can be no doubt. 


THE PROGRAM 


115 


Nor should Philippians 2:15—“That ye may be 
blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, 
in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among 
whom ye shine as lights in the world’’ be used to dif¬ 
ferentiate those Christians who are looking for their com¬ 
ing Lord from those who are not thus in an expectant 
attitude. This verse is surely characteristic of all true 
Christians in a greater or less degree. “Ye are the light 
of the world” is true of all Christians and is not to be 
confined to an elect few among them. If what this verse 
has to say is not true of any man or woman in some 
degree then that man or woman has no right to claim to 
be in saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The “grace 
of God” is not simply the unmerited favour of God, 
it is that unmerited favour actively manifesting itself 
not only in saving its recipient but also in keeping him 
separate from the world and causing him to be a light 
for God. The “grace” of God is not passive merely; it 
is an active agent also in producing such a life in this 
world as Philippians 2:15 and Titus 2:11-13 so vividly 
portray. 

What an empty and awful world this will be when 
all the believers are caught up into the heavenlies from 
the earth and when all the wicked principalities and 
powers come down from the heavenlies to the earth! 
No wonder such times are described as being “filled with 
evil workers, swarming like locusts, ” “ filling the air like 
smoke from a pit.” 

Wait, old world, and see how much you will miss the 
Church; the Church—the salt, the light and the cream 
of the world! What kind of a world will this be with 
no salt to stem its rotting corruption, with no light to 
banish its gross darkness? What kind of a world will 


116 


THE COMING KING 


this be with no real spiritual preachers, no live churches, 
no spiritual Christians, no active soul winners, no hymns, 
prayers or family altars? 

Think of living in a city with all these things gone and 
their places filled by Satan, demons, liars, profligates, 
the immoral, the impure; for, remember that, while the 
saints are taken up, Satan and his evil hosts come down. 
Who would want to live in a world with hell let loose 
and with the devil in full control of things? 

Gone will be the saints as Enoch was gone, and his 
friends looking all over for him and unable to find him, 
though he had not died (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5). Gone 
as Elijah, and his friends searching the mountains for 
him (2 Kings 2:15-17). 

“ Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what 
of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, 
and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, 
come” (Isa. 21:11, 12). “Morning” to those who are 
ready; “night,” 0 how dark the night! to those who 
are not ready! 

The raised Christian dead and the changed Christian 
living are caught up together to be “forever with the 
Lord.” “For the Lord himself shall descend from 
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ 
shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall 
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet 
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the 
Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). 

Nor do we believe in a “secret rapture” which would 
leave some of the saints behind. When the Lord shall 
come for His saints He will leave none behind, even 
though some be very “weak and poor Christians.” All 


THE PROGRAM 


117 


true believers are members of His body and will there¬ 
fore be joined to the Head in that day. No imperfect, 
mutilated body will the Head have. It is the Head that 
comes for His body—the entire Church. It is the Bride¬ 
groom that comes for His Bride—the entire Church, all 
“the dead in Christ” and all “we which are alone and 
remain” shall be caught up. 

What a gathering of the faithful that will be! Think 
of the joy of meeting! Can you imagine the joy of the 
widow of Nain when her son was brought back from the 
dead? Or the joy of Martha and Mary when Lazarus 
was restored to life? Or of Jairus when his daughter, 
who had died, was again given back to him ? 

“Beyond the silent river 
In the glory summer land, 

In the beautiful forever, 

Where the jewelled city stands, 

Where ever-blooming flowers 
Send forth their sweet perfume, 

My heart’s most loved and cherished 
In heavenly beauty bloom. 

“And when I cross that river, 

The first I will adore, 

The first to bid me welcome, 

Upon that golden shore, 

Will be my loving Saviour, 

The One who died for me, 

That in the long forever, 

From sin I might be free. 

“The next one who will greet me, 

In the mansions fair and bright, 

Will be my sainted mother, 

Arrayed in garments white, 


118 


THE COMING KING 


And then that gray-haired father, 

Close pressing by her side, 

Will clasp my hand with fervour, 

Just o’er the swelling tide. 

11 Then curly-headed brother, 

And little sister dear, 

And bright-eyed little baby, 

With merry laugh and cheer, 

Will all then cluster about me 
To bid me welcome home, 

And watch with me the gathering 
Of loved ones yet to come. 

“Oh, the joy that there awaits me, 

When I reach that golden shore, 

And clasp the hands of loved ones, 

To part with them no more.” 

(b) The Reward of the Saints—The Judgment Seat 
of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:4, 12; 2:16; 1 Cor. 
3:10-16; 2 Tim. 4: 8, cf. Luke 19:11-27, Matt. 25:14- 
30). 

The “judgment seat of Christ” is the tribunal before 
which the saints shall stand to give an account of the 
deeds done in the body, whether good or bad. We are 
justified by faith; we are rewarded according to our 
works. Grace has guaranteed us a place in Christ by 
faith. Our position in the life to come, however, is 
determined by our faithfulness in the grace and faith 
of Jesus Christ. This is not a judgment as to life or 
death that was settled, once for all, for the believer at 
the Cross, at the time of conversion (John 3:18; 5:24; 
12:31, 32). 

The believer is building daily for eternity. Every 
deed, word, thought beautifies or mars his eternal re- 


THE PROGRAM 


119 


ward. “If any man build upon this foundation gold, 
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; each man's 
work shall be made manifest, because it shall be revealed 
in fire; and the fire itself shall prove every man’s work 
of what sort it is. If any man’s work shall abide which 
he hath built thereon, he shall receive a reward. If any 
man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he 
himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” 

This passage, while referring primarily to teachers 
and ministers of the Word of God, yet has a very fitting 
application to all believers who are building upon Christ 
as the Foundation of their hopes. Degrees of punish¬ 
ment for the lost we believe there will be (Luke 12: 47, 
48), why not degrees of reward for the saints (Luke 
19:11-27)? Are not some made rulers over five and 
others over ten cities? Is there not such a thing as the 
least and the greatest in the kingdom? 

The thought of the “judgment seat of Christ” is of 
great comfort to the believer. Not always is he rewarded 
in this life for the good he has done and is doing. Oft- 
times the opposite is true. He is misrepresented, ma¬ 
ligned, misjudged, persecuted, hounded, cursed. Sinis¬ 
ter motives are impugned to his good endeavours. At 
times he may be tempted to ask, “Where is the God of 
judgment” (Mai. 2:16, 17)? 

“Careless seems the great Avenger. 

History’s pages but record 

One death grapple in the darkness 

’Twixt old systems and the Word. 

Right forever on the scaffold, 

Wrong forever on the throne. 

Yet, that scaffold sways the future, 

And behind the dim unknown 

Standeth God, keeping watch o’er His own.” 


120 


THE COMING KING 


So it seems at times. But it shall not always be so. 
“Hope is sown for the righteous/’ He will come into 
his own some day. The cup of cold water given in the 
name of Christ to a thirsty soul shall meet its reward. 
The kindly word and deed, all unappreciated here, will 
one day merit the Master’s “Well done.” 

It was this thought that comforted the heart of Kip¬ 
ling, as evident in his poem, “The Last Picture,” when 
under a strain of scathing criticism by those who mis¬ 
understood him. He wrote: 

“When earth’s last picture is painted, 

And the tubes are all twisted and dried; 

When the oldest colours have faded, 

And the youngest critic has died— 

We shall rest—and faith we shall need it; 

Lie down for an aeon or two; 

Till the Master of all good workmen 
Shall set us to work anew. 

“Then those that were good shall be happy, 
Shall sit in a golden chair 
And splash at a ten-leagued canvas 
With brushes of comet’s hair. 

Have real saints to paint from— 

Mary, Magdalen, Paul— 

Shall paint for an age at a sitting, 

And never grow tired at all. 

1 ‘ Then only the Master shall praise us, 

And only the Master shall blame; 

And no one shall work for money, 

And no one shall work for fame. 

But all for the joy of working, 

And each in his separate star, 

Shall paint the thing as he sees it, 

For the God of things as they are.” 


THE PROGRAM 


121 


One day, when Yerdi had rendered one of his splendid 
compositions in Florence, he was greeted with tremen¬ 
dous applause. He stood motionless as the loud applause 
swirled around him, his features not seeming to betray 
any recognition of the appreciation of the audience. 
His eyes were fixed on one spot in the great auditorium— 
the place where his teacher stood. Verdi was watching 
for the approval of his master. What cared he for the 
applause of the crowds if his teacher was not well- 
pleased? Then, with a smile and nod of approval from 
the master, Verdi’s face was wreathed in smiles. The 
master was pleased. So shall it be in that great day at 
“the judgment seat of Christ.” If only we can hear the 
words from His lips, “Well done, good and faithful 
servant, ’ ’ that will be compensation and reward enough, 
for all the misunderstandings and misrepresentations of 
life, and for the good we have done. 

My little girl came home one day from school. It was 
the last day of school. She placed on the table in front 
of me a copy-book which she had filled with her own 
■^pjtjug during the weeks of school term. She said, 
“Papa, will you look through my copy-book?” I said, 
“Certainly, Dorothy, I will be delighted to do so.” 
Page after page I turned over; not a blot, not an era¬ 
sure, not a mistake did I see. Being pleased beyond 
measure with the work she had done, I put my hand in 
my pocket, took out a coin, and offered it to her as a 
reward for her splendid work. I shall never forget to 
ixiy dying day the look of mingled pleasure and pain 
on her face, as she said to me, the tears streaming from 
her deep blue eyes, “Thank you so much, papa, I do not 
want the money; I am so happy and satisfied to hear you 
say ‘Well done.’ ” So shall it be in that blest day when 



122 


THE COMING KING 


we shall stand before the Master. Just to hear Him 
say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”—that will 
be more than compensation for all that we have done for 
Him and for others. 

Just when “the judgment seat of Christ” will be set 
or the judgment take place—whether immediately after 
the Church is caught up to meet the Lord in the air, or 
immediately before He comes with His Church to set 
up His Millennial reign upon the earth we may not be 
able, definitely, to state. Of this we may rest assured, 
however, that it will surely come to pass. 

(c) The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6, 
10; cf. John 3: 29; Eph. 5: 23-32). 

It is also difficult to definitely decide just at what point 
of time the Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place, 
whether at the time of the Rapture, or immediately be¬ 
fore Christ comes with His saints to set up His Millen¬ 
nial reign on the earth (Rev. 19), or after the Millennial 
(Rev. 21), in that case the statement regarding the 
Marriage in Revelation 19 being anticipatory of the 
event which in reality does not take place until chapter 
21—after the thousand years’ reign upon the earth. The 
strongest indications are that the event is premillennial. 
The marriage actually takes place—that is the main 
thing; of that we are certain. 

The true Church (as contrasted with the “harlot”— 
the apostate church) is the bride of Christ. The terms 
“body” and “bride” are both true of the Church: 
“body” is referred to when the vital and organic re¬ 
lation of the Church to Christ is intended; “bride,” 
when its affection and love relation is to be emphasized. 
The true Church is the “body,” “bride” and “wife” of 
Christ. Some one has well said that the “bride” is the 


THE PROGRAM 


123 


temporary name, and “wife” the enduring name of the 
Church. The saints of God in the true Church of Jesus 
Christ during the Church dispensation—these are the 
“bride” of Christ to whom He will one day be united 
in Marriage. 

Some have thought that this symbol of the “bride” 
or “wife” indicates the redeemed alluded to in so many 
places in the book of Revelation previous to chapter 19 
(cf. 7:9; 12:1; 14:1; 17:14). 

Just who “those bidden to the wedding” are we may 
not be able, dogmatically, to say. John the Baptist re¬ 
fers to himself as being “the friend of the Bridegroom” 
(John 3: 29). Jesus refers to the “children of the bride- 
chamber” (Matt. 9:15; cf. also 22:2, and 25:1-10 for 
references to the subject of marriage). May it not be 
that the saints of the old dispensation will be those or at 
least among those who are “bidden” to the wedding 
feast ? 

“The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is a figure under 
which is depicted the complete union between Christ and 
His faithful Church. ... It stands in contrast with 
the fornication of the * harlot’—the union of the unfaith¬ 
ful portion of Christ’s (professing) Church with the 
powers of the world.” 


3. The second item on the program will affect the 
Apostate Church and the Jew. 

We do not know how many years will intervene be¬ 
tween the “Rapture of the Church” (1 Thess. 4:14- 
17) and the introduction of the “seventieth week” (Dan. 
9:24-27). A sufficient time, however, must elapse to 
permit of the appearance and development of certain 


124 


THE COMING KING 


systems and personages, such as antichrist, and the 
false prophet. 

We shall discuss this section as follows: First, the 
events following the Rapture and preceding the seven¬ 
tieth week; second, the seventieth week itself; third, the 
events closing the seventieth week. 

(a) The Events Following the Rapture and Preceding 
the Seventieth Week. 

World government is still in the hands of the Gentiles. 
“The times of the Gentiles’’ is still in vogue. 

A word or two in explanation of the phrase 4 ‘ the times 
of the Gentiles” may be in place here. The human race 
has been placed on trial by God. The government of 
the race was committed into the hands of individuals 
like Adam and Noah. This experiment, we know, ended 
with total failure. Adam sinned and brought ruin and 
death upon himself and his posterity. Noah sinned and 
the deluge came and swept the race, except eight persons, 
off the earth (Gen. 7-9). God then chose, through 
Abram (Gen. 12), a single nation, the Hebrew, to repre¬ 
sent Him in the government and control of the world and 
for the purpose of disseminating the knowledge of the 
true God and the great facts of redemption. The de¬ 
scendants of Abraham thus became God’s chosen people. 
They soon forgot, however, the purpose for which they 
were chosen. Becoming selfish and exclusive, they failed 
to disseminate among the people of the world the 
knowledge of God which had been given them for the 
purpose of making God and His will known among the 
Gentiles. Having failed, therefore, to fulfill the mission 
for which they were created, they, too, forfeited the 
right of world government. 

In the prophecy of Ezekiel (8:3-6; 10:18; 11:23) 


THE PROGRAM 


125 


we have a graphic description of the departure of the 
glory of God from the temple of Jerusalem. At first it 
hovered over the door of the temple as though loath to 
leave, then, finally it departed toward the east. “The 
temple of God” is thereafter called “the temple at 
Jerusalem,” and so, later, “the feasts of the Lord” 
(Ex. 13:6) became “the feasts of the Jews,” as “My 
Father’s house” (John 2:16) became “your house” 
(Matt. 23:38). Soon after, the chosen race was carried 
into captivity. So ended the Jewish period of world 
government. 

“The times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24), under 
Nebuchadnezzar, then began. This period is well repre¬ 
sented by Nebuchadnezzar’s colossal “image” (Dan. 2), 
and also by the wild “beasts” (Dan. 7, 8 and 11)—the 
“image” representing the “ times of the Gentiles” in 
man’s estimation, the ferocious “beasts” as viewed in 
God’s sight. How differently God and man may view 
the same things! 

Just how long the times of the Gentiles will last we 
do not know. There has been much unwarranted specu¬ 
lation on the subject. Some have thought that the seven 
yeans, during which time Nebuchadnezzar was driven 
into the fields to live as a beast of the field (Dan. 4), 
are to be reckoned as each day representing a year of 
360 days. This would make “the times of the Gentiles” 
2,520 years, that is, if we begin with 600 b. c., the time 
of Nebuchadnezzar. No one can speak dogmatically on 
this matter. We do know, however, that the times of 
the Gentiles indicate a specific period and will have an 
“end” (Luke 21:24), and will close as they began— 
with the putting up and worship of an “image” (cf. 
Dan. 2, 4, 7; Rev. 13:14, 15; cf. Matt. 24:15). 


126 


THE COMING KING 


It is interesting to note how “the times of the Gen¬ 
tiles” are portrayed. In the first place, they are de. 
scribed in Daniel (2:31-45) under the symbolism of a 
great colossal image, indicating that the rule of the Gen¬ 
tiles, as man estimates it, is one of apparent nobility and 
admiration. In 7: 2-7 and 16-21, they are represented 
under the figure of ferocious beasts such as the lion, bear, 
leopard and goat, as God sees them, their real nature. 
Does this indicate the true ferocious animal nature of 
Gentile rule? Is it not remarkable that the national 
emblems which the nations have chosen to represent them 
are those of ferocious beasts, such as the lion, the bear , 
the tiger, the eagle? So, if we scratch the skin of the 
present civilization, noble and admirable as it may seem 
to be, we will find the fierce, ferocious, unreasoning beast 
beneath, as the history of the 1914-1918 world war un¬ 
questionably demonstrated. 

“The times of the Gentiles’’ may be described as 
“Man’s Day” (1 Cor. 4:5, R. V.). The government of 
the world is to-day in the hands of man, just as in “The 
Day of the Lord” and “The Day of Christ” the govern¬ 
ments of the world will be in the hands of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. “The times of the Gentiles” mil head up in one 
person—the antichrist (cf. 2 Thess. 2:7-10; Rev. 13:1- 
18). 

1. The Rise of the Antichrist. 

The political condition and development during the 
time between the Rapture and the introduction of the 
Seventieth Week proper: considered politically, it would 
seem as though the government of the world would merge 
into a one man power. This one man will be the “anti¬ 
christ,” who is a real person, not a mere system. He 
is called the “man of sin,” the “son of perdition” (2 


THE PROGRAM 


127 


Thess. 2:3). His number is “the number of man” 
(Rev. 13:18). The number 666 may mean that the 
antichrist is human, not the devil, not God. (See Ezek. 
28: 2, 9.) Just as 888 is the number of the resurrection 
and eternal triumph, so 666 may indicate that no matter 
how great a person the antichrist may be he is not super¬ 
natural or divine. Ezekiel 28:2, 9 is interesting in this 
connection: “Because thy heart is lifted up and thou 
hast said, I am . a god, I sit in the seat of God, in 
the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man and not God. 
Thou didst set thy heart as the heart of God. . . . 
Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am 
God? but thou art a man and not God.” Even though 
we who now live may not be able clearly to tell who 
the antichrist is, those who live when he appears will 
be able to recognize him by this inspired description. He 
is finally cast into the lake of fire (19: 20; 20:10). He 
will doubtless come from the East (probably Syria), and 
will have the combined force and power of the four 
kingdoms spoken of in Daniel and Revelation which, it 
seems, will again rise up in the last day and be merged 
into the revived Roman Empire. So in Revelation 
13:1-8 the beast from the sea, which probably repre¬ 
sents the antichrist, is represented as being identified 
with Babylon (lion), with Medo-Persia (bear), Greece 
(leopard) and with Rome (seven heads and ten horns). 
The antichrist is the sum total and representation of 
world government. 

Some have thought that the antichrist might in some 
sense or other be a reincarnation (of Judas, possibly, be¬ 
cause cf. John 17:12; 2 Thess. 2:3; Rev. 13:3), for he 
once had lived, then died, and will be raised again by 
Satan. He was the seventh horn and is also the eighth. 


128 


THE COMING KING 


He goeth into the pit and cometh up out of the pit (Rev. 
13:3; 17:7, 8). 

The antichrist is a ‘‘controlling military power”— 
‘‘Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war 
with him?” (Rev. 13:4). 4 ‘And it was given unto him 
to make war with the saints, and to overcome them” 
(Rev. 13:7). 

He is a “controlling religious power”—“And they 
worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: 
and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto 
the beast? And he opened his mouth in blasphemy 
against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, 
and them that dwell in heaven” (Rev. 13:4-6). “And 
all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him” (13:8). 

‘ ‘ And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before 
him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein 
to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was 
healed” (13:12). “And he had power to give life unto 
the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should 
both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship 
the image of the beast should be killed” (13:15). 

He is a “controlling commercial power”—“And he 
causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and 
bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their 
foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he 
that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the num¬ 
ber of his name” (Rev. 13:16, 17). 

He is a “controlling supra-natural power”—“And 
they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the 
beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like 
unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And 
there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things 
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to con- 


THE PEOGEAM 


129 


tinue forty and two months . . . and power was 
given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” 
(Eev. 13:4, 5, 7). 

That present national and political conditions are 
tending toward and may resolve themselves into such a 
one man power is evident from the following extract 
which is taken from a book written by Mr. G. E. Tarner, 
of London, entitled, “A Future Roman Empire —a pos¬ 
sible result and solution of some modern political and 
economical problems.” On page 2 of this book the au¬ 
thor says: 4 ‘In a former treatise on some conspicuous de¬ 
velopments of the time—‘State Provided Education/ 
‘Combinations in Eestraint of Trade’ and ‘The Gradual 
Transfer of Political Power to the Largest Class’—I at¬ 
tempted to show that their mutual action, proceeding un¬ 
checked along present lines, would result in producing a 
state of things in the form of a universal anarchy that, 
humanly speaking, could only be effectively dealt with 
by a Eoman Emperor.” In the world to-day combina¬ 
tion, not competition, is preeminently characteristic of 
trade conditions. 

The Independent (January 5, 1914) made reference 
to “a capitol of all the world.” The sum of $150,000, it 
was stated, had already been expended in the drawing up 
of plans for this great world capitol, and, strange to say, 
Babylon is the site chosen for the capitol of the world’s 
empire. It seems likely, therefore, that the antichrist 
may rule and reign over and from Babylon (which prob¬ 
ably will be the ancient Babylon restored) as its capital. 
Many able expositors believe that Babylon is yet to be 
rebuilt—that it has never been destroyed as indicated in 
the prophecy. 

Sir William Hillocks, who is said to have expended 


130 


THE COMING KING 


thirty millions of dollars in irrigating the Nile Valley, 
and it is reported that a much larger sum is to be ex¬ 
pended for the irrigating of the Mesopotamian Valley in 
order that it may become, what it probably was in the 
beginning, the Eden spot of the world. Dr. Haldeman, 
of New York, holds in his possession a letter from which 
the following extract is taken: “Could we but see how 
the old canals of the Euphrates Valley have been redug 
and how every sign indicates the *drive to the East,’ 
we would be startled by the near approach of the pro¬ 
phetic hour when the Golden City shall once more rise in 
all her power and glory. 5 ’ Even now there is a railroad 
to Bagdad, which runs over or close to the site of the 
ancient city of Babylon, and already merchandise is pass¬ 
ing over it from the East to Europe. 

Why may not the map of Europe, changing as it is 
constantly these epoch-making days, show the political 
divisions of the old Roman Empire restored ? Why may 
it not be likely that as the Pope of Rome, centuries ago, 
crowned Charlemagne emperor of Rome, which was 
equivalent to being ruler of the whole world, so anti¬ 
christ should be crowned emperor of the restored Roman 
Empire? (See Rev. 17:12, 13.) 

It is remarkable that the insignia of Germany is an 
eagle with two heads but one body, thereby signifying 
that the Roman Empire, while divided into East and 
West (as indicated by the two heads) is yet one (as indi¬ 
cated by one body). It should not go unnoticed that 
Russia has (or had) the same insignia. 

Why should it be thought incredible in view of the 
strange political and geographical changes that are tak¬ 
ing place in Europe to-day that the political divisions of 
Europe should change so that Germany, Russia, Greece, 


THE PROGRAM 


131 


Turkey and Asia Minor should form one confederated 
state with such a person as antichrist at the head (Rev. 
17:12, 13) V 

2. The Great Apostasy . 

We come now to consider the condition of the world, 
morally and religiously, between the time of the Rapture 
and the Seventieth Week. 

Doubtless after the true Church, which is the ‘‘body” 
and the “bride ’ 9 of the Christ (Rev. 19: 6-9; 21: 2, 9, cf. 
Eph. 5:25-32), is taken up into heaven, the professing 
church (the “harlot/’ 17:1-7, cf. 2 Cor. 11:2, 3) will 
doubtless go on with its worship, services, and activities 
just as before the saints were taken up to be with the 
Lord. There will be, however, a marked growth in the 
apostasy within the professing church—the ecclesiastical 
organization left on the earth—until, finally, this false 
religious system which, in contradiction to the true 
Church (the 4 Svife” and “bride’’ of the Lamb, already 
“caught up to be with him”), is called the “harlot” has 
become so morally and religiously corrupt that it is de¬ 
stroyed by the power of the antichrist and the ten kings 
whose favour and protection it had so long enjoyed 
(17:13-18). 

The doctrine of the decline and apostasy of this false 
ecclesiastical system is in strict harmony with the teach¬ 
ing of the Scriptures as a whole as the following citations 
will show: 

1 The Scripture references to the antichrist are as follows: 
2 Thessalonians 2:3—10; Revelation 13:1—10; Daniel 2:40; 7*7, 
8, 24, 25; 9:26, 27; 11:36, 37, etc. It will repay the student to 
look up these passages carefully. Both “ beasts ” in Revelation 
13 have points in common with the antichrist, although the 
“ first beast ” (coming up out of the sea, which in the Scriptures 
represents the restless peoples and nations, cf. Rev. 17: 151 I 3 < 
Isa. 57: 20, 21). 


132 


THE COMING KING 


“Let no man beguile you in any wise, for it (that is, 
the day of Christ) will not be except the falling away 
come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of per¬ 
dition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all 
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he sit- 
teth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God” 
(2 Thess. 2:3, 4). 

‘ ‘ But the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in later times 
some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seduc¬ 
ing spirits and doctrines of demons through the hypoc¬ 
risy of men that speak lies” (1 Tim. 4:1, 2). 

“But know this, that in the last days grievous times 
shall come; for men shall be lovers of self, lovers of 
money, boastful . . . having a form of godliness, 

but having denied the power thereof . . . men cor¬ 

rupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith” (2 Tim. 
3:1-5). 

“I charge thee, in the sight of God, and of Christ 
Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by 
his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word . . . 
for the time will come when they will not endure sound 
doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to them¬ 
selves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away 
their ears from the truth and will turn aside to fables” 
(2 Tim. 4:1-4). 

“Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall he 
find the faith on the earth” (Luke 18: 8, R. V. margin). 

Do we not see the seeds of such apostasy already exist¬ 
ing in the Church ? Do we not observe an antichristian 
spirit manifest among even men in the pulpit? They 
are existent in John’s day (1 John 2:18-26), but they 
were more honest and consistent than many false teach¬ 
ers nowadays. In John’s day “they went out from us,” 



THE PEOGEAM 


133 


that is to say, they got out of the Church as soon as they 
ceased to believe the things for which the Church stood, 
being unwilling to pose as hypocrites; to-day they “stay 
within the Church ” and inconsistently and hypocriti¬ 
cally receive their compensation under false pretenses; 
denying the very faith which they vowed to uphold. 

According to 1 John 2:22, 23, Unitarianism is anti- 
christian and is opposed to the true Christ of the Gos¬ 
pels. Yet look at the prevalence of Unitarianism among 
so-called Trinitarian preachers, orthodox and evangelical 
churches. Some years ago this Unitarian tendency 
within the Church was evidently strong enough to pre¬ 
vent the Trinitarians successfully protesting against the 
election of a United States President, who was a Uni¬ 
tarian. Just before leaving the White House this same 
President is reported to have said before a conference of 
Unitarians: “We are not large in numbers; people are 
not joining the Unitarian Church, and here is the reason: 
they are getting what they want in orthodox churches; 
(italics ours) they are with us but prefer to remain in 
their own denomination ’ ’ (Wimberley). 

A poem, recognized by a leading Eastern University 
as the prize poem, is here presented. It illustrates the 
spirit of the age in worshipping humanity instead of 
Christ: 

* ‘ O holy spirit—0 heart of man! 

Will you not kindly listen, turn and bow 
To that clear voice since time began, 

Loud in your ears and louder now! 

Mankind, the Christ retried, 

Eecrowned, recrucified, 

No god for a gift God gave us, 

Mankind alone must save us.” 

It has been pointed out vividly by another that one of 


134 


THE COMING KING 


the signs of the decline of the Church is the struggle it 
has to exist in the present day. The increase in church 
giving has not been in proportion to the national increase 
of wealth. Church members are said to give one-sixth of 
one per cent, of their wealth, whereas the Bible calls for 
a tithe (one-tenth) of their total income. Tourists in 
one year, in the United States alone, are reported to have 
spent thirteen billion dollars for travel. We spent twen¬ 
ty-six million dollars for chewing gum. We gave sixteen 
million dollars only for missions. We spent more money 
for auto tires and Ouija boards than for all forms of 
Christian work in one recent year. Our Mission Boards 
have depleted treasuries and are compelled to close some 
mission fields, and see the work of Christ abroad seri¬ 
ously handicapped because of lack of funds. 

The following statistics for one year recently are sug¬ 
gestive and certainly bear witness to an awful condition 
existing in the Church: One large association of preach¬ 
ers representing fifty thousand members lost nine hun¬ 
dred members in one year. Seven thousand churches 
reported that after one year’s work not one member had 
been added to the membership roll even by letter, not to 
speak of additions on confession of faith. Six thousand 
was the loss enumerated by one evangelical denomina¬ 
tion. Thousands of congregations in the United States 
are without a pastor. Ten million children in our coun¬ 
try never enter a church or synagogue (Wimberley). 

Again, note the absence of the real dynamic power of 
the revivals of Pentecost power of former days. That 
our people are resting in the form of religion rather than 
in the enjoyment of its power is beyond contradiction. 
Test an average revival by the Scriptures and see how 
far short it comes of emphasizing the prominent Biblical 


THE PROGRAM 


135 


doctrines, such as repentance, regeneration, restitution, 
etc. How few there are who come forward to the altar 
because of real sorrow for sin! Too often, instead of the 
personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour, it is a 
matter of coming forward to take the hand of the evan¬ 
gelist or to sign a card or to have one’s name taken down, 
for what purpose we do not quite know. 

The deterioration along spiritual and moral lines is 
seen by the dissolution of the sacred relationships of 
home. It is characteristic of the last time that its people 
shall be “without natural affection, truce breakers” 
(Rom. 1:31). Said a University Professor some time 
ago: “The home is doomed. It must give place to a 
more effective and cooperative system. Hotels and 
boarding-houses are taking the place of homes. In a 
small town there were twenty young married couples, all 
in good health, all boarding, and all without children. ’ ’ 

Then, again, look at the lack of family religion in the 
home. No longer is the father acting as the divinely ap¬ 
pointed priest of the family. The card table has taken 
the place of the family altar in too many homes. 

Divorces are on the increase. It is claimed that there 
are over one million divorced people in the United States. 
More than seventy thousand people a year are divorced, 
and upwards of two hundred and fifty a (court) day. 
Can we imagine what such a condition will lead us to ? 

The moral forces of our country seem to have failed, 
and it is said that now legislation is sought to compel 
women to dress more modestly and decently. The white 
slave traffic is terrific. 

Sabbath desecration is on the increase. The “conti¬ 
nental Sabbath” of Europe, with its failure and unwill¬ 
ingness to recognize God, is upon us. We have evidences 


136 


THE COMING KING 


every day as to the price Europe is paying for her “con¬ 
tinental Sabbath.’’ We know that the Jews as a nation 
were scattered throughout the world and became wan¬ 
derers upon the earth because of their failure to keep the 
Sabbath. We may sneer at the “Blue Laws of New 
England” and the Puritans, and joke about these early 
settlers “falling first on their knees and then on the 
Aborigines, ’ ’ but it was on the sturdy Christian manhood 
of such pioneers that this great Republic was built. 
What kind of a republic shall we have in the future that 
is now being built very largely upon so many emigrants 
from certain parts of the old world, carrying with them 
absolutely no idea of the sacredness of the Sabbath, and 
practically no inspiring thought of God ? Better by far 
the “Blue Laws of New England” than the godless 
ideals of those who have no regard for the things of God. 

Thus the professing, apostate Church develops in its 
antichristian and immoral condition, until finally it is 
wiped out by antichrist and the kings that are in alliance 
with him (Rev. 17:16, 17). 

4. In relation to the Jew and the Holy Land. 

(a) The Seventieth Week Itself. 

(1) Its General Description. By the Seventieth 
Week we refer to the last of the seventy weeks referred 
to in Daniel 9 : 24-27: ‘ ‘ Seventy weeks are determined 
upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the 
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make 
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting 
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, 
and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and un¬ 
derstand, that from the going forth of the commandment 
to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the 


THE PEOGEAM 


137 


Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two 
weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even 
in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks 
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the peo¬ 
ple of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and 
the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, 
and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one 
week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the 
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the over¬ 
spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even 
until the consummation, and that determined shall be 
poured upon the desolate. ’ ’ 

These weeks deal strictly with Jewish time , God’s 
chosen people, the Holy City, and the Chosen Land. 
Even though “the times of the Gentiles” are still ex¬ 
istent, God has not finished with the Jew. After “the 
times of the Gentiles” have been fulfilled, God will again 
deal with His chosen people (cf. Acts 15:13-18) : “And 
after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, 
Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath de¬ 
clared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take 
out of them a people for his name. And to this agree 
the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I 
will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, 
which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins 
thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men 
might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon 
whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all 
these things. Known unto God are all his works from 
the beginning of the world.” The indications on every 
hand are that there is a stirring among the Jews. Al¬ 
ready “the fig tree” (which in the Scripture may be said 


138 


THE COMING KING 


to represent the Jewish nation) is beginning “to bud” 
(Matt. 24:32-34). The Jew has his face set toward 
Palestine. 

The Jews consider that the promises of their return to 
the Holy Land will be fulfilled as literally as the prophe¬ 
cies referring to their scattering among the nations of the 
earth have been fulfilled (cf. Jer. 23:3; Rom. 11; Isa. 
43:5, 6; Zech. 2:4, 5; 8: 3, 7, 8). They expect such a 
national restoration to their own land. For this purpose 
it seems to us they have been miraculously preserved. 
The words of Jesus, “this generation shall not pass away 
until all these things be fulfilled” (Matt. 24:34) un¬ 
doubtedly have a reference to the preservation of the 
Jewish nation (cf. Phil. 2:15). We have still with us, 
after all these centuries of preservation, the imperish¬ 
able, ubiquitous, irrepressible Jew. Other nations have 
sinned, died and passed from the earth. The Jew, too, 
has sinned, but lives on and suffers, bearing the chastise¬ 
ment, not of an enemy but of a wayward son. 

The Chosen Land is waiting for the Chosen People. 
Prosperity has never yet crowned the efforts of any other 
people in Palestine. No other nation has prospered in 
the Holy Land. The Jew has been the man without a 
country, and Palestine the country without the man, yet 
preserved for the man—the Jew. To-day the Jew seems 
to be coming into his own. 

Just before the outbreak of the world war there were 
one hundred thousand Jews in Palestine, fifty thousand 
of them dwelling in and about Jerusalem. There were 
thirty or forty flourishing agricultural schools in Pales¬ 
tine. The towns of Safed, Tiberias and Hebron had al¬ 
ready become industrial centres. Hebrew, the language 
of the Old Testament, of Moses and the prophets, has 


THE PROGRAM 


139 


arisen from the dead, as it were, and is in daily use in 
Palestine. A world university had already been started 
in Jaffa by the Jews before the outbreak of this war, 
which the Jews claimed would be the seat of learning of 
the world. Fabulous wealth lies in the hands of Jews 
and Zionists to use in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, its 
wall and temple, as soon as Palestine shall again be given 
to the Jew, which is now in reality assured. Indeed, a 
representative commission of Jews has already been ap¬ 
pointed to apportion out the Promised Land, the title of 
which is to belong to the Jew forever, and can never be 
sold. President Wilson appointed Henry Morgenthau, 
the American Jew, to represent the United States in look¬ 
ing after such an apportionment. For 1,900 years this 
hope has never died out of the hearts of faithful Jews. 

Nor should it be overlooked that this stirring among 
the Jews with reference to the Holy Land is significant 
regarding the near approach of the “Kingdom of God.” 
Our Lord Jesus gave us to understand that as soon as 
such an awakening was observed we might lift up our 
eyes for our redemption was close at hand. He said: 
“This generation (meaning the generation living at the 
time of this great Jewish awakening; not merely the gen¬ 
eration He was speaking to, but also that one which He 
was speaking about —that generation) shall not pass 
away until all these things be fulfilled. ’ ’ The generation 
that sees the fig tree begin to bud will also see its fruit— 
so quickly will the things pertaining to this particular 
period be consummated. “Behold I come quickly.” “I 
will make a quick end.” “Delay shall be no longer” 
(Rev. 10:6). 

In general, this “week” may be divided into two parts 
of three and a half years each—“a time, times and half 


140 


THE COMING KING 


a time” (cf. Dan. 9: 27). The first half of the week is 
characterized by the acceptance of a false Messiah; the 
second half of the week by recognition of the deception, 
a turning away from the false Messiah and “the great 
tribulation” of the Chosen People. 

Speaking more particularly of the events of the seven¬ 
tieth week, we should say that there is: 

First. The return of the Jews in an unconverted state 
to their own land (Isa. 11:11; 60; Jer. 31: 35-37; 
33:19-26). 

Current events show how easy it would be for these 
prophecies to be physically and literally fulfilled, as the 
story of Zionism, as told by the Rev. Samuel Schor, in 
The Christian Workers’ Magazine, so vividly states: 
“The story of the origin of Zionism is well known, but 
there are certain developments of Zionism which deserve 
to be noticed. 

“1. The spread of Zionism has been quite phenome¬ 
nal of late. Nor does it owe its progress to the inspira¬ 
tion of a great leader like the late Dr. Herzl. While the 
present leaders are able men, not one of them possesses 
the magnetic personality of the late founder. And yet 
the numbers grow, and so does the enthusiasm. The 
hopefulness of the cause is itself the great motive power. 

“2. This growing enthusiasm has increased to fever- 
heat when Turkey plunged into the war. They feel that 
by this act she as good as committed suicide. There will 
cease to be a Turkey when the war is over and Palestine 
can only be handed over to the Jews. Congresses, con¬ 
ferences, meetings are being held everywhere in all the 
great cities of the states, from New York to San Fran¬ 
cisco, in the Argentine, in Holland and Switzerland. 

“3. They had several years ago founded agricultural 


THE PEOGEAM 


141 


colleges and model farms in Jaffa, on Mount Carmel, and 
other places, with the object of giving young Jewish 
would-be farmers the highest training in their work. 

“4. The revival of Hebrew as a living tongue is a re¬ 
markable movement. It is being taught in the schools; 
children are encouraged to speak it at home; newspapers 
and books on every conceivable subject are printed in 
Hebrew; the literature of the world has been requisi¬ 
tioned from Milton and Dante to Dickens and the latest 
books on science and philosophy. As you travel through 
a Jewish colony you hear the children prattling in their 
play and using the language of Isaiah and the Psalms. 

4 ‘ 5. Then, again, the Zionists are dreaming of a great 
world-university in Jerusalem. An attempt to material¬ 
ize this dream had been made before the war broke out. 
Clever Jewish professors in various branches of science, 
mathematics and classics had been brought together. A 
college had been opened in Jaffa, where all the lectures 
were given in the Hebrew language. This college, after 
further development, was to have been transferred to 
Jerusalem and form the foundation of this world-uni¬ 
versity. 

* ‘ 6. Perhaps the strangest and saddest feature of this 
great Zionist movement is the utter absence of any 
thought of God or of spiritual blessings. The whole 
movement is national, but steeped in materialism of the 
grossest kind. They have their dreams of culture, of 
ethics, of morality, but they are all of a dead, cold type, 
reminding one of the heartless reasoning of the German 
professor. As the prophet foretold, Israel is returning 
in unbelief. When once in the land she will discover 
that the highest forms of organization, the best educa¬ 
tion, the most perfect system of man-made ethics, cannot 


142 


THE COMING KING 


regenerate man, and then will come the * time of Jacob’s 
trouble’ (Jer. 30:7), which will be the master surgeon’s 
operation, painful but short, to remove forever the can¬ 
cer of sin and unbelief.” 

For many years the average person has looked upon 
the Zionist Movement among the Jews as a fanatical 
dream. Even those persons outside the Jewish race, who 
have faith in prophecy, have not until now seen in the 
startling events of the age so many things indicative of 
the fulfillment of prophecy in the Second Coming of 
Christ and the restoration of Palestine to this long-exiled 
people. 

With the Turks expelled from the Holy Land and the 
British in possession, there is a concerted awakening 
among the Jews, in anticipation of realizing their hope 
long deferred. For over 1,900 years this hope has been 
kept alive in the hearts of succeeding generations of 
Jews. It has suddenly been fanned into a flame of joy¬ 
ous expectancy by the suggestion that England might be 
influenced to relinquish any claim to the land and to as¬ 
sist in establishing a Jewish Republic, with Jerusalem as 
its centre. 

There might be human ways in which this can be ac¬ 
complished. It goes without saying that the Jews can¬ 
not flock to Palestine and each seize for himself a parcel 
of land and a house—though some of them undoubtedly 
have just such visionary ideas. The land, however, 
could be placed in the hands of a representative commis¬ 
sion of Jews, with power to parcel it out. It would be a 
stupendous and almost hopeless task, but if God, in His 
wisdom, means that it shall be so, He will find a way, and 
it is not for us to speculate upon the difficulties of the 
achievement. 


THE PROGRAM 


143 


Ph.. Spievacque, editor of the Jcwish Evangelist, a 
Hebrew-Christian publication, published in Brooklyn, 
N. Y., says i If there was ever a time during the history 
of the new dispensation when the great and awful proph¬ 
ecy of Habakkuk was nearing its fulfillment it is now. 
‘ Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall 
fruit be in the vine; the labour of the olive shall fail, and 
the fields shall yield no meat; the flocks shall be cut off 
from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; 
yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of 
my salvation.’ 

“There was nothing imaginary in the mind of the 
prophet, but he was expressing the deep truths of God. 
There was nothing figurative about the entire prayer of 
Habakkuk, however strange it may appear, and the con¬ 
dition of famine everywhere does not need any interpre¬ 
tation, yet God’s own people everywhere have at no other 
time so rejoiced in God, giving Him all the glory as they 
do now. Messiah is coming! 

“Do you know that the Lord more than two thousand 
years ago gave, through the prophet Daniel, a clear de¬ 
scription of the times in which we are now living? 

“Do you know that this is the time whereto the Apostle 
Peter referred in Acts 3:19-21, where he calls it the 
times of restitution of all things which God has spoken 
by the mouth of all the holy prophets ? 

“Do you know that Peter there declares that these 
times of blessing will not precede, but will follow, the 
Second Coming of our Lord Jesus? 

“Do you know that the prophecies and signs which 
now herald the second advent of Christ are much more 
distinct than were those signs and prophecies which 
marked His first advent?” 


144 


THE COMING KING 


The same publication publishes, also, an account of a 
lecture given by Dr. G. H. Enelow, rabbi of Temple 
Emanuel, the richest and most influential synagogue in 
New York City, on “The Significant Signs of the 
Times,” in which he said: 

“Jesus must mean more than something to the Jews, 
or we are out of joint with the religious progress of the 
world. It cannot be by mere accident that a Jew should 
have had such incalculable influence in the religious life 
of the human race. Whether Jesus was original or not; 
whether He is reported right or wrong, the fact of His 
influence for good and the fact that He was a Jew, can¬ 
not be ignored. Modern Jews cannot shut themselves in 
the silence of the centuries. It is high time for us to ask, 
and that most seriously, what do we think of Jesus? Be 
our answer to the question what it may, we ought to for¬ 
mulate an answer. The object of this lecture course is to 
make some contribution to those who want to make an 
intelligent answer to the question.” 

The Jews will rebuild the temple and restore worship. 
Jerusalem will again be the centre of the world’s wor¬ 
ship. Already, as we have seen, the Zionists are reviving 
the study of Hebrew as a living tongue and the Jews are 
dreaming of a great world-university in Jerusalem. Lec¬ 
tures are now being delivered in the Hebrew language in 
the college of Jaffa, and it is the purpose to transfer this 
college to Jerusalem and make it the nucleus of a world- 
university. Every Sabbath at sunset in the city of Jeru¬ 
salem has been seen crowds of J ews, men and women, old 
and young, weeping, wailing and praying by the temple 
walls, beseeching Jehovah that He would again restore 
Jerusalem and the temple. This they have done for 
many centuries. One wonders if such a scene will now 


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be done away with, God having heard His people’s 
cry! 

The Jews will accept the false Messiah (Dan. 9:27; 
ef. John 5:43; 2 Thess. 2:1—12). This “wicked prince,” 
“little horn ,’ 9 “man of sin,” “the beast,” who is ac¬ 
cepted by the Jews as their Messiah, will deceive and de¬ 
lude the chosen people who have returned to Palestine, 
during the first half of the seventieth week. In the 
midst of that week (by “week” is meant a “week of 
years”—seven years)—probably because of their wit¬ 
nessing against “the abomination of desolation spoken of 
by Daniel, the prophet, standing in the holy place” (cf. 
Matt. 24:15; Dan. 9:26-27)—the Jews will reject this 
mock messiah, who, in turn, will be so filled with anger 
that he will commence a persecution, the like of which 
had never been before, a persecution which is called in 
Scripture “the great tribulation,” or “the time of Ja¬ 
cob’s trouble” (Dan. 12:1; Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24:21, 
29, 30). 

(2) The Relation of Antichrist to the False Prophet 
and Israel during this Seventieth Week. 

Naturally, on their return to Palestine, even though in 
an unconverted state, the Jews, being like the rest of 
mankind, only more so—incurably religious—will natu¬ 
rally, seeing they are again in their own land—a land so 
replete with religious memories pertaining to their race— 
turn their thoughts toward their coming Messiah and 
His kingdom. That men can practically disbelieve in 
God and yet go to the temple and worship is evident 
from the study of the first chapter of Isaiah, and also 
from the fact that many men to-day lie, cheat, and steal 
in business throughout the week, and yet go to church to 
worship God on Sunday. 


146 


THE COMING KING 


Naturally, then, at this receptive time, many false 
Christs will arise and claim the allegiance and devotion 
of the people of God. Many will be rejected, but one of 
the “false Christs” will be chosen (Matt. 23:23, 24; 
John 5: 36), probably because of some superior power he 
possesses, and which we know from Revelation 13:1-7 
is given to him by antichrist. 

The “false prophet” (Rev. 13:11-16; 16:13; 19:19, 
20; 20:10; John 5:26) is represented as “the beast 
arising from the land” as contrasted with the antichrist, 
who is “the beast rising from the sea” (“land” indicat¬ 
ing law and order, and in this instance “the” land—Pal¬ 
estine; and “sea,” a symbol of anarchy, the restless na¬ 
tions). The “two horns” of the “false prophet” indi¬ 
cate harmlessness and weakness, yet he has the voice of 
the dragon. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. So false 
prophets, “ministers of Satan,” are thus described 
(2 Cor. 11:13-15). The “false prophet” is inspired by 
the beast and dragon even to the point of the miraculous. 
He is the instigator and controller of the religious and 
ecclesiastical system of that time even as the first beast is 
of the civil (and perhaps commercial) authority. Ire- 
nasus calls the false prophet ‘ 4 the armour-bearer ’ ’ of the 
antichrist. He protects all who receive the mark of the 
antichrist and boycotts or slays all who do not render 
homage to the image of the beast—“the abomination of 
desolation” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, put up in 
“the holy place,” and to which Jesus refers (Rev. 
13:17; Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14). 

God’s chosen people in Palestine, being small from a 
military point of view, will need the protection of some 
great political and military power against their enemies 
from the North and South. To secure such military aid, 


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147 


the false prophet and the chosen people will enter into a 
covenant with the antichrist, who will render them such 
political and military aid in return, doubtless, for the 
financial aid which they will be able to give him (Dan. 
9:27). 

The two witnesses’’ (Rev. 11) will testify against 
such an alliance. Who these “two witnesses' * are we 
may not be able, definitely, to say. They may be Enoch 
and Elijah, who have not yet tasted of death. Because 
of the peculiar nature of their miracles (shut up the 
heaven and turn water into blood) some think they will 
be Moses and Elias. At any rate, during the time of the 
false prophet, who is leading Israel astray, these “two 
witnesses" testify, doubtless with some good results. 

In the middle of the seventieth week, the false prophet 
will cause to be erected in the temple an image of the 
antichrist, and will call upon the Jews to fall down and 
worship it. This is the “abomination of desolation 
spoken of by Daniel, the prophet ’ ’ and also by our Lord 
Jesus (cf. Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15). Against such wor¬ 
ship the “two witnesses" and the faithful remnant pro¬ 
test. This refusal angers the antichrist. As a result, 
the covenant, which was confirmed at the beginning of 
the week, is broken (Dan. 9:27) and the fierce anger of 
antichrist falls upon the chosen people in what is known 
as “The Great Tribulation" (Rev. 7:14; Matt. 24:21; 
Dan. 12:1, 7). 

(3) The Great Tribulation. 

“The Great Tribulation" (see Olivet discourses, Matt. 
24; Mark 13 and Luke 21; and perhaps, Rev. 6:19) has 
to do with the Jew particularly (Dan. 12:1; Jer. 30:7). 
It has to do, also, probably in a more limited sense, with 
the world (cf. Rev. 3:10), for its rebellion against God. 


148 


THE COMING KING 


This great period of suffering may not be confined to 
Jerusalem or the Holy Land, but may also cover, in a 
limited way, other parts of the inhabited earth. It is 
poured out upon the rejectors of God and the neglectors 
of God too. ‘ 4 For the Lord cometh out of his holy tem¬ 
ple to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their in¬ 
iquity. The earth shall also disclose her blood, and shall 
no more cover her slain ’ ’ (Isa. 26: 21). There are only 
two ways of dealing with the sins of nations or of indi¬ 
viduals : one is by repentance, the other by punishment. 

Nations will be punished for their neglect of God, their 
rebellion against Him, and their refusal to obey His laws. 
God-defying, Sabbath-breaking peoples will surely be 
punished. A writer of the time of the Revolution tells 
us that “France stood up and blasphemed the name of 
God and His power and dared Him to send His thunder¬ 
bolts and do His worst.’ ’ And God did. 

The ‘ ‘ Tribulation * ’ describes a period of suffering un¬ 
surpassed. Think of what these words mean: 4 ‘ Such as 
was not since there was a nation, no nor shall be” (Dan. 
12:1). The suffering is to be greater than anything that 
has yet been seen. Think of the bloody carnage of the 
past and present, and then remember that all this is as 
nothing compared with ‘ * The Great Tribulation. ’ ’ 
When we think of what science and invention are doing 
for the destruction of human life, even to-day, we shud¬ 
der for the things that are coming upon the race in the 
future. 

“The fall and plunder of Carthage by the Romans 
with all its accompanying horrors; the siege of Jerusalem 
by Titus with its blood-curdling accounts of mothers eat¬ 
ing their own children; the reign of terror in France 
when the guillotine was fed by the hour for months, 


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149 


when suicides and murders turned Paris into a slaughter 
pen, and the River Seine actually ran with blood, and the 
children of murdered parents so enraged the officers that 
they herded them together and shot them like dogs; the 
Armenian massacres with their frightful atrocities, bru¬ 
tal murders, and indescribable tortures; the scenes 
around Warsaw, when half a million men were slaugh¬ 
tered in two weeks; the horror of the Northern soldiers in 
our Civil War in the fields of Shiloh, fighting their way 
down to the stream flowing between the armies, seeking 
water and finding blood instead; all these sufferings are 
to be surpassed by ‘ ‘ The Great Tribulation. ’ ’ It is hard 
for us to conceive that anything worse could happen, but 
we have no doubt that it would not be hard to convince 
the Armenians and the Belgians that such things could 
occur. Hell will be opened to belch out its wickedness. 

“Demons will be turned loose among men, swarming 
like locusts and stinging like scorpions. Men will seek 
death and not find it.” 

“Earth, what a sorrow lies before thee, 

Unlike it in the shadows past, 

The sharpest throes that ever tore thee, 

Even though the briefest and the last! 

I see the shadows of the sunset, 

I see the dread avenger’s form, 

I see the Armageddon onset, 

But I shall be above the storm. 

There comes the mourning and the sighing, 
There comes the heart tears’ heavy fall, 

The thousand agonies of dying— 

But I shall be above them all.” 

Just what will be the duration of “The Tribulation” 
we may not be absolutely sure. The answer to the ques- 


160 


THE COMING KING 


tion depends upon the interpretation we put on the 
“forty-five days.” It has its course during the second 
half of the seventieth week. At any rate, we are assured 
by the Master that the time will be shortened, otherwise 
men could not bear it: “And except those days should be 
shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matt. 24:22). 

Will the Church Go Through the Tribulation? 

That “The Great Tribulation” refers to the experi¬ 
ences of the Jewish nation and does not at all concern the 
Church is clear, we think, from the following considera¬ 
tion : 

(1) It is “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Dan. 12:1; 
Jer. 30:7), not the Church’s trouble. All the signs 
which announce its advent and nature are Jewish; for 
example, “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by 
Daniel, the prophet ”; “ let them that are in Judea flee to 
the mountains” (Luke 21:20) ; “pray that your flight 
be not on the Sabbath day” (Matt. 24:15-21). 

It is the time of Israel’s trouble for her rejection of 
the Messiah. Why should the true Church of Christ, the 
body and bride of the Lord Jesus, that loves Him, that 
has received Him as Lord and that longs to see His face, 
why should the true Church, we ask, with such a rela¬ 
tionship to her Lord, so different from the attitude of the 
rejecting Jew, why should the true Church go through 
such trouble—trouble which is a punishment for the 
rejection of the Messiah? The Church may, and doubt¬ 
less does, need punishment for her sins, but hath not God 
punished them in Christ, and hath He not * ‘ delivered us 
from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10)? Would God 
be “faithful and righteous” in relation to our pardon if 
He punished us also, as well as Christ who bore our sins 


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151 


together with their guilt and punishment (1 John 1:9; 
1 Pet. 2:24)? One can understand how Christendom, 
the professing Church, may be called upon to pass 
through such a fire, but it is difficult to see any reason 
why the true bride of Christ needs to. 

According to Daniel (12:1), it is “thy people” that 
“shall be saved out of it” (“the great tribulation”). 
It is Jacob that is delivered out of his great trouble: 
“He (Jacob) shall be saved out of it.” 

There is no more reason why the Church should par¬ 
take of the tribulation or Jacob’s trouble than that they 
should partake of “the wrath of the Lamb.” “The 
great tribulation” is of the nature of “judgments” and 
“wrath,” neither of which the Church of Christ is sub¬ 
ject to. Think you that Christ will allow His people to 
be subject to such suffering as that described in Revela¬ 
tion 16: 3, 4, 9, 10, all of which is the result of sin ? Is 
this to be endured by the believer, by the bride and wife 
of our Lord ? No. 1 Thessalonians 1: 9-10; 5: 8-9; 
Titus 2:13; Romans 5:9 declare that this is not to be. 
Christ will keep His Church from that hour of trial 
(Rev. 3:10; cf. 1 Thess. 5:9; Luke 21:34; 1 Thess. 
5:3-6). The tribulation is justly characterized as “the 
wine of the fierceness of the wrath of God. ’ ’ This clearly 
cannot be poured out upon the body and bride of Christ. 
Is the tribulation to be “a kind of purgatory for the 
bride of Christ? Is the righteousness of Jesus Christ 
with which the saints are clothed, and which is so perfect 
that even the law of Mount Sinai can find no fault 
therein, so imperfect that it must needs pass through a 
purgatory of fires ? ’ ’ What strange doctrine is this that 
would teach us that the Church must needs pass through 
the tribulation? 


152 


THE COMING KING 


(2) Not one single Scripture anywhere teaches that 
the Church will go through the tribulation. No argu¬ 
ment can be built on the silence of Scripture. As some 
one has well said, “Inference and application is not in¬ 
terpretation.” Rightly interpreted, the Scripture no¬ 
where teaches that the true Church, the body of Christ, 
must endure the tribulation. 

(3) In the book of Revelation , the Church is seen in 
heaven from chapters 4 to 19. Not once in these chap¬ 
ters is the Church described as being on earth. In the 
Laodicean period (3:14-22), the false Church is spued 
out and the true Church is not only saved out of the 
great hour (3:10), but is feasting with Christ (3:20). 

That the “twenty-four elders” (described in chapters 
4 to 19) represent the Church is evident from their posi¬ 
tion, which is “co-enthronement” (3:21); from their 
number, which is the number of the Levitical priesthood 
(1 Chron. 24:1-19) and descriptive of the priesthood of 
believers (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5-9; Rev. 1:6; 5:9, 10); from 
the testimony of the Church, which is purely Christian 
(5:9, 10), and from the fact that the office of eldership 
is a representative office of the Church (Acts 15:2; 
20:17). 

The Church is seen in heaven before a seal is broken, a 
trumpet sounded, a vial poured out or a woe pronounced. 

(4) Such an outlook as that of passing through “the 
tribulation” is never presented to the Church as its ob¬ 
jective (cf. Rom. 8: 23; 1 Cor. 15: 51-52; 1 Thess. 4:17; 
Phil. 3: 20-21; 1 Thess. 1:9, 10). The Church is to look 
for “the Lord himself” from heaven. Just as He came 
the first time (to the temple and was seen by Simeon and 
Anna) before the predicted sign of the “forerunner” 
(which took place thirty years after He was seen by 


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153 


Simeon and Anna), so will it be when Christ comes 
again. He will be seen by His Church long before He is 
seen by the world. Unto them that look, watch, and wait 
for Him shall He appear the second time without sin 
unto salvation (Heb. 9:28). 

(5) Such a theory makes no place for the principal 
events connected with the future destiny of the Church, 
such as the rapture (1 Thess. 4:14-18); the judgment 
seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10); the presentation of the 
Church of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb 
(Rev. 19:1-9; Eph. 5: 24-27; 2 Cor. 11:2), all of which 
belong to the ‘ ‘ Day of Christ. ’ ’ All such events are not 
to be called 4 ‘mere incidents in the downward sweep of 
the Lord in glory to the earth,” as those who hold the 
post-tribulation theory maintain. 

The Son of Man is said to come “immediately” after 
the tribulation (Matt. 24:29). What room is there, 
then, left for these events if the Son of Man comes “im¬ 
mediately” after the tribulation? If this position of the 
post-tribulation theory were true, why then were not the 
“shout,” the “voice of the archangel,” and the “trump 
of God” made signs of the coming of Christ to the earth 
instead of precursors of the “rapture” or the beginning 
“of the day of Christ”? 

It is generally agreed that the saints—the Church, re¬ 
turns with Christ to reign with Him. Where and when, 
then, does she become joined to Him? Where and when 
did the “rapture,” the “judgment seat of Christ,” “the 
presentation,” the “marriage supper of the Lamb” take 
place? The “downward sweep theory” is too meagre 
and trifling to account for these things. The saints come 
with Christ from heaven not from the air (cf. 19:11-14; 
21:9-10). 


154 


THE COMING KING 


(6) Those that come after the great tribulation are 
those converted by the preaching of “the gospel of the 
kingdom.’’ They are tribulation saints. Three gospels 
are referred to in the New Testament; “the gospel of the 
kingdom” (Matt. 4:23), “the gospel of the grace of 
God” (Acts 20: 24), and “the everlasting gospel” (Rev. 
14:6). (See Philip Mauro’s most helpful book entitled, 
“Looking for the Saviour,” to which the author is here 
greatly indebted for his presentation of this phase of the 
subject.) 

(4) The Truth about Armageddon. 

The “Great Tribulation,” of which we have just been 
speaking, ends with what has been called “the battle of 
Armageddon” (R. V. Har-Magedon, Rev. 16:16). 

The great world-conflict waged in 1914-1918 awakened 
an amazing interest in what is commonly termed “the 
battle of Armageddon.” Naturally, a thing true in 
every such case, much wild speculation and rash inter¬ 
pretation crystallized itself about this famous and much 
talked of Scriptural battle. It may not be out of place 
at this time, therefore, to examine as closely as we can 
and discern as correctly as Scripture will permit, the 
real truth concerning the nature, place, extent and time 
of the Biblical “Armageddon.” 

The word “Armageddon” (Har-Magedon, R. V.) 
means ‘ ‘ The Mountain of Megiddo . 9 9 Strictly speaking, 
it is a question if there is any such place as “Har-Ma¬ 
gedon” or “Armageddon” recorded in the Scriptures; 
consequently, the question arises, is there such an event 
as “the battle of Armageddon”? Of course, aside from 
the fact that there may be no such city, geographically, 
as “Armageddon,” a closer look at the Scripture which 
refers to it (Rev. 16:13-16) reveals the fact that, after 


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155 


all, the Bible does not speak of a battle taking place 
there, so much as its being a gathering place for a battle 
which, presumably, does not take place until the nine¬ 
teenth chapter, verse nineteen, in which we have por¬ 
trayed for us the coming of Christ with the heavenly 
host for this great conflict (19:11-21). This phase of 
the subject should be clearly borne in mind in studying 
“ Armageddon/’ 

Mention is made in the Scripture of a place called 
“Megiddo” (Judg. 5:19; 1 Kings 9 :15; 2 Kings 23: 29; 
2 Chron. 35:22), which is situated, geographically, near 
by or on the Plain of Esdraelon. It has been well called 
“the battlefield of the world,’’ for many of the greatest 
battles of the world have been fought there—Barak, 
Joshua, Gideon, Josiah, Judas Maccabseus, the Turks, 
the Saracens and Napoleon have waged decisive conflicts 
in that region. And perhaps it is not too much to say 
that the decisive battles of the late world-conflict were 
fought out there. 

The word “megiddo” means, literally, “a troop,” “to 
cut through,” “to slaughter . 99 It indicates 1 ‘ a place of 
decision,” and is almost always, indeed one might say 
always, concerned with a conflict between heathen or 
apostate nations and the chosen people of God. It is 
therefore a religious war. The word “Armageddon” 
should never be used to describe a conflict of any other 
nature. 

But “Megiddo” stands for a spirit or principle as well 
as for a place. It has a moral significance as well as a 
geographical location. This is most important to under¬ 
stand. It is doubtless for this reason that the reference 
in Revelation (a book which itself is full of symbolic and 
figurative language) to “Megiddo” is prefaced with the 


156 


THE COMING KING 


symbolic and figurative expression: “a place called in 
the Hebrew tongue , Armageddon .’ 9 Why this symbolic 
expression if something more than a mere geographical 
location is not thus indicated? Indeed, may we not go 
as far as to say that this explanatory phrase at least inti¬ 
mates that the principle for which this place stands is of 
as much, if not of even far greater, importance, in this 
connection, than its geographical location on the map? 
Most assuredly the moral aspect of “Armageddon” is 
more prominent in this reference than its geography, 
otherwise, so it seems to us, the words, “ as it is called in 
the Hebrew tongue” would be superfluous and meaning¬ 
less. 

It is for this reason, doubtless, that the word “Me- 
giddo” has placed before it, in the Hebrew, an affix 
(such as “Har-Magedon,” meaning “Mountain of Me- 
giddo,” Rev. 16:16, R. V.) which is determined by the 
nature of the transaction which takes place there. If, 
for example, it is sorrow or humiliation which gathers 
the people there, then the place is referred to as “the 
waters of Megiddo” (Judg. 5:19), or “the valley of 
Megiddo” (2 Chron. 35: 22) ; if it is pride which gathers 
the forces there, then it is “mountain of Megiddo”— 
“Har” meaning “mountain” and standing in the Scrip¬ 
tures for the lofty pride of man. 1 Certain it is that 
haughtiness and lofty pride is the spirit in which these 
“kings of the whole earth” gather themselves together 
against the Son of Man and His heavenly hosts. 

It becomes clear then, from what has been said, that 

*The hest autIl . 0 nties give “ Har-Magedon "—mountain of 
Megiddo; so Revised Version Revelation 16: 16, rather than 
“Armageddon”—city or town of Megiddo, although “Ar” also 
means “mountain” as well as “city.” 


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157 


there can be no true understanding of what is meant by 
the expression 44 the battle of Armageddon” unless it is 
considered not only as a place but also, yea and very 
much more, as a principle. 

5. The Millennium. 

(a) Character of the Millennial Age . 

The thousand year reign is characterized as the long 
expected days of Messiah, the days of righteousness and 
peace, when Jerusalem, rebuilt and adorned, will be the 
throne of Jehovah and the centre of universal law and 
rule, worship and blessing. 

“The heavens will be cleared of demoniacal powers of 
the air, which rain plagues and woes upon men, the 
Spirit shall be poured out from on high upon men, the 
wilderness shall become a fruitful field, and the fruitful 
field be counted for a forest. In lands once devastated 
by flood and fire, in desolate wilderness of heat and cold, 
the earth shall give her increase. The inhabitants of the 
land shall not say, ‘ I am sick. ’ Sin will be suppressed; 
human life lengthened; death, a punitive exception. 
Whatever might array itself against the Messiah shall be 
at once subdued, and at the end, when there is neither 
adversary nor evil concurrent, he shall deliver up the 
kingdom of God, even the Father, that God may be all in 
all” (1 Kings 5: 4; 1 Cor. 15: 20-25; Isa. 2:104; 33: 24; 
60: 65; Rev. 20). 

The Jews, as a nation, will be converted (Rom. 11) and 
become the great missionaries of the world (Zech. 8:13- 
23; Acts 15:14-17). If they manifest the same thrift 
and organization in missionary activity that they now do 
in business, what a blessing they will be to the world! 

Christ will be King. The government of the Millen- 


158 


THE COMING KING 


nial Age will be a theocracy, an absolute monarchy (Jer. 
23:5-8; Lnke 1:30-33). The apostles will reign with 
Christ over the Jews (Matt. 19:28) and the Church over 
Gentile nations (Luke 19:11-19; Heb. 2:6, 7). Not 
democracy, but absolute monarchy (theocracy) will be 
the final form of government for the world. 

It shall be a reign of righteousness and peace (Isa. 
2:4; 32:17; Luke 2:14). Peace will then prevail 
(Isa. 2), for the peace of God will possess the hearts of 
His people (cf. Col. 3:13). There will be no war then. 
Joel 3:10 gives the condition of things now: “Beat your 
ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into 
spears: let the weak say, I am strong. ’ ’ Isaiah 2:4 gives 
us the condition of things then: “And he shall judge 
among the nations and shall rebuke many people: and 
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their 
spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword 
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” 
We shall have no West Point and no Annapolis. 

Jerusalem will be the capital city. From Jerusalem 
shall go forth the law. Pilgrimages will be made from 
all over the earth to Jerusalem (Zech. 14:16). Two 
men shall take hold of the skirt of a Jew and say, “We 
will go with thee to Jerusalem.” 

There will be a renovated earth. What a magnificent 
picture we have in the early chapters of Genesis as we 
behold Eden as God created it! So will it be in some 
future day. The earth as God created it is a fruitful 
matrix travailing to bring forth, but sin has cursed it. 
Briers, thorns and thistles does it bring forth. All this 
will be removed during the Millennium (Isa. 35:1, 2; 
66:17-25). 

A renovated earth (Gen. 3:17-19; cf. Isa. 65:17-25; 


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159 


35; Rom. 8:19-21)! Sorrow will be eliminated from 
among the people of God. There will be no prematurely 
early deaths. The earth shall yield her increase. Men 
shall rest securely in their houses. There will be un¬ 
limited communion with God. Even the animal creation 
will be subject to man (ef. Isa. 11:6-9; Ezek. 34:25; 
Hosea 2:18). How remarkable is the statement of the 
temptation of Christ as found in Mark 1:13, where we 
are told that Jesus “was with the wild beasts.” So was 
Adam before his fall (Gen. 2:19), and yet neither Adam 
nor Jesus had any fear. The fear of animals in man is 
the result of the entrance of sin into the heart. It is 
remarkable to note in this connection that, while the 
animal creation is changed and tamed, yet the curse pro¬ 
nounced upon the serpent remains for “dust shall be the 
serpent’s food” (cf. Isa. 65:25; Gen. 3:14). What a 
glorious portrayal of the renovated earth we have de¬ 
scribed in Isaiah 11, 35 and 65! Is it any wonder that 
the saints of God cry out, “Even so, Lord Jesus, come 
quickly”? Surely these will be the times of refreshing 
from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19), “the time 
of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21), and the days 
of the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit upon 
the throne of his glory” (Matt. 19: 28). 

There will be a prolongation of life. A man dying 
one hundred years old will be considered an infant. 
Think of what such longevity would mean to men like 
Shakespeare, Edison, and other such celebrities! They 
would then have time to carry to full fruition the prod¬ 
ucts of their genius. Who can tell what will then hap¬ 
pen? 

There will be no death during the Millennium, except 
for gross sinners, who apparently will be punished with 


160 


THE COMING KING 


instant death. Nor will there be any sorrow, sickness, or 
death among the people of God; no doctor, no undertaker, 
no hearse, no grave. There will be security in all the 
saints dwelling in that day. Nothing shall make the 
people of God afraid. 

Satan will be 4 ‘ bound’ ’ during the Millennium, and by 
that is meant that his power will be limited and hindered. 
He will not have the sway over the hearts and lives of 
men that he has now. This is what the “binding of 
Satan” doubtless means (Rev. 20:1-7). The wicked 
spirits in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12-17) will be cast 
down. This does not mean that sin will be entirely 
abolished during the Millennium, for the hearts of men 
are so sinful that, even without the incitement and in¬ 
stigation of a personal devil, their sinful and depraved 
natures will lead them to wrong-doing (cf. Rev. 9: 20, 21; 
16: 9-11). It is for this reason that we have an account 
of another battle by the hosts of Satan against the hosts 
of God even after the Millennium (Rev. 20: 7-9). 

(b) The Close of the Millennium —Gog and Magog 
(Rev. 20:7-10). 

Apostasy and rebellion is recorded as closing the one 
thousand years’ reign of our Lord upon the earth. One 
would have thought that, after such a glorious reign, 
men would have come to see that righteousness is a bless¬ 
ing and sin is a curse, but so steeped are men in sin 
that even amid “the great tribulation” (Rev. 9:20; 
16:10-11) and the Millennium (Rev. 20:7-10) sin 
again manifests itself. In this connection, compare 
Ezekiel, chapters 38-39—Gog and Magog. 

6. The Last Things. 

(a) The Battle of Gog and Magog (Rev. 20:7-10). 


THE PROGRAM 


161 


Not much is said relating to the events that take place 
immediately following the Millennium. This much is 
recorded, however, that Satan is loosed for a little while 
and permitted to have some access to and power over 
mankind. Sin, during the reign of Christ for one thou¬ 
sand years on the earth, has been curbed; it has not been 
annihilated. What sin does remain Satan takes, works 
upon, fans into a flame and thus gathers together a 
great army to fight against the Lord God of Hosts. This 
last conflict is called the battle of Gog and Magog. 

Just who are signified by "Gog and Magog” it may be 
difficult to determine. Some have thought that the refer¬ 
ence is to the same powers mentioned in Ezekiel, chapters 
38 and 39. There are serious difficulties, however, in the 
way of accepting this theory. Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 
are before the Millennium; Gog and Magog of Revela¬ 
tion, after it. John makes no geographical boundaries 
for these people as Ezekiel does. The end of these foes 
of God is not the same in both instances; in one case 
their carcases lie in the street, in the other they seem to 
be instantly consumed with fire; the one is buried, the 
other burned. According to Ezekiel these people arise 
before the establishment of the full millennial glory of 
Zion and Jerusalem; according to John, it is afterward. 
Nor are the leaders of these alien hosts the same in 
Ezekiel and John. 

Whether "chief prince” should be translated "prince 
of Rosh” and thus, in harmony with the two proper 
nouns—Meshech and Tobol—which follow, be made to 
refer to Russia is something probably impossible to settle 
decisively. The same may be said as to "Gomer” re¬ 
ferring to Germany. This much, we think, may be 
clearly and unmistakably decided: that inasmuch as Gog 


162 


THE COMING KING 


and Magog in Ezekiel were the great (and probably the 
last) enemies of God’s Chosen People and Land, 
so the hordes of Gog and Magog in Revelation symbolize 
the last great enemies of the Chosen People and Land 
of God. Certainly in both instances the conflict is be¬ 
tween these hordes and the Chosen People and Land. 
Probably Gog and Magog in Revelation refer to the bar¬ 
barian hordes just as Ilar-Magedon refers to the civilized 
armies that array themselves against the Lord, His 
Anointed, and His people. Whoever these last enemies 
are they are finally defeated. 

(b) The close of the Millennium is characterized by 
the execution of final doom and destiny upon Satan 
(20:10; cf. Matt. 25:41). 

This is the record of the final doom of the adversary of 
men. At last he is cast into the abyss where the beast 
and false prophet are (Rev. 19:20), there to remain 
forever, and never again to lead the sons of men 
astray. Thus Satan meets his doom. 

(c) There is then the Great White Throne Judgment 
(Rev. 20:11-15). 

This is the final judgment—that of the impenitently 
wicked and takes place at the close of the Millennium. It 
is a judgment of ‘ ‘ the dead ’ 9 ; no mention is made of the 
living in connection therewith. Note the difference be¬ 
tween the judgment of the “living nations” and that of 
“the great white throne”; the former is at the beginning, 
the latter at the close of the Millennium; one deals with 
the living, the other with the dead; one deals with con¬ 
duct toward “the brethren,” the other with general sins 
recorded in books. 

It has been thought that the judgment of fallen angels 
(Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4) takes place at the close of the 


THE PEOGEAM 


163 


Millennium. In this judgment believers are associated 
with Christ (1 Cor. 6:3). 

( d) The New Heavens and the New Earth. 

A. New Sphere of Life for the Saints. A new heaven 
and a new earth! Paradise regained. A new spiritual 
environment and new physical conditions. The redeemed 
will not then be surrounded by the temptations and de¬ 
feats of this mortal life. There shall be ‘‘no more sea.” 
To the Jew the sea was a symbol of unmixed peril, trou¬ 
ble and restlessness (cf. Isa. 57:19-21). 

A New Home for the Saints. Revelation 21-22: 5 por¬ 
trays a picture of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, 
which is to be the final and eternal abode of the people 
of God. 

Within the “new heavens” and on the “new earth” is 
the Holy City. Note some characteristics of the Holy 
City: 

Its Name: New Jerusalem—what music to the ear of 
the Jew, who for so long had been without a city of 
his own! 

Its Walls (21:17) : High, secure, safe against all as¬ 
saults. 

Its Gates (21:15, 21) : Guarded by angels; names on 
gates; only saints enter. 

Its Foundations (v. 14) : The apostles of the Lamb; 
lustrous (18). 

Its Citizens: of the nations that are saved; character¬ 
istics (21: 6, 7; 22:14, R. V.; contrast with 21: 8, 27). 

Its Magnitude: 4,800 stadia (the earthly Jerusalem be¬ 
ing but 33 stadia). 

Its Glory (11: 23) : what costliness! 

New Conditions of Life for the Redeemed. God’s home 
is there (21:3); thus, the believer had uninterrupted 


164 


THE COMING KING 


communion with God. Things that used to be have all 
passed away; death, mourning, curse, tears, sorrow, 
night—all have gone. New created things appear: the 
river of life, the tree of life, new services, new relation¬ 
ships, new light (22:4). 

“And after these things I heard a great voice of much 
people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, 
and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 

“And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts 
fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, 
saying Amen: alleluia. 

“ And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise 
our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both 
small and great. 

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, 
and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of 
mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God 
Omnipotent reigneth. 

“ Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to 
him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife 
hath made herself ready. 

“And to her was granted that she should be arrayed 
in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the 
righteousness of saints.” 

* ‘ Oh, think of the home over there, 

By the side of the river of light, 

Where the saints all immortal and fair, 

Are robed in their garments of white. 

“Oh, think of the friends over there, 

Who before us the journey have trod; 

Of the songs that they breathe on the air, 

In their home in the palace of God. 


THE PEOGEAM 


‘I’ll soon be at home over there, 
For the end of my journey I see. 
Many dear to my heart over there, 
Are watching and waiting for me. 


Y 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 

T HE greatest care is needed in the consideration 
of this phase of the subject. Both post- and 
premillennialists need to be cautious, careful 
and forbearing the one with the other. There has been 
too much abuse and unchristian sentiment in the treat¬ 
ment of those holding opposing sides on this subject. 

1. Caution against extravagance. 

To fix a definite date for Christ’s Coming and say that 
He will or will not come at that time is to be guilty 
of a most serious blunder. No man can say when Christ 
will or will not come. Jesus Himself said, “No man 
knoweth the day or the hour,” and “ye know not what 
hour your Lord doth come.” Indeed, some “modernists” 
have gone so far as to say that our Lord Himself pro¬ 
fessed ignorance as to the time of future events, and 
especially of this one in particular: “No man . . . 

not even the Son of Man knoweth.” It therefore fol¬ 
lows, they say, that none of His Apostles nor subsequent 
theologians can prognosticate. It is true, that this par¬ 
ticular phase of His Coming Again was, during the time 
of His humiliation, not revealed to Him by the Father, 
and so, of this one particular He was “willingly igno¬ 
rant,” and was very willing to remain so until the Father 
saw fit to reveal it to Him. Jesus never uttered one 

166 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


167 


word which the Father had not put into His mouth. He 
did not “voice the current opinions of the day,” nor did 
He “but give expression to the belief of the Jews about 
him”; He was not “a man of the hour” in the sense 
that He was subject to the false beliefs prevalent round 
about Him. In commenting on His own testimony, 
Jesus said, “For I spake not from myself; but the Fa¬ 
ther that hath sent me, he hath given me a command¬ 
ment what I should say, and what I should speak 
. . . the things therefore which I speak, even as the 

Father hath said unto me, so I speak” (John 12:49, 
50). It is evident therefore that in Mark 13:32, in 
which passage Jesus professed not to know the day nor 
the hour of His Coming, He was conscious that He was 
dealing with a phase of a subject on which the Father 
had not given Him specific light; it was a point and one 
of those things “which the Father had kept in his own 
privilege or authority” (Acts 1:7), and apparently was 
not a necessary part of the knowledge requisite for the 
carrying out of the divine program. 

The fact that Jesus gave voice only to those things on 
which the Father had given Him knowledge made His 
spoken words all the more authoritative and final. Not 
one word fell from His sacred lips that was not in deed 
and in truth the very word of the Father. The “si¬ 
lences” of Jesus, therefore, made His utterances in¬ 
fallible. What He did say was final and infallible. We 
should have a poor and unreliable foundation, indeed, 
did our faith rest only upon “the current opinions of 
the time of Jesus” and “the notions of the hour in which 
he lived.” That Jesus did actually know the future is 
evident from the things He foretells in the very chapter 
in which the words seem to imply < * a limitation 


168 


THE COMING KING 


of knowledge/ 7 We find Jesns here predicting and 
portraying events that were to happen many centuries 
ahead, such as what would happen to Jerusalem, the 
scattering of the Jews among the nations of the earth, 
and the things that would happen to the world at large. 

Dangers from “Date-fixing” and “Almanac-making” 

We need to beware of two dangers in considering the 
time of the Coming Again of the Lord Jesus: one is that 
we may make too much of the time element, and the 
other that we make too little of it. 

That “dates 77 have some place in the calculation of 
“times and seasons 77 the book of Daniel shows con¬ 
clusively. No symbolic interpretation of Daniel can sat¬ 
isfactorily account for the reality and order of the facts 
occurring as recorded in that book. The modern destruc¬ 
tive critic would, of course, account for the accuracy of 
Daniel’s dates by putting the authorship of the book 
down to about 150 b. c. instead of where we believe it 
should be put—in the time of Daniel himself: between 
600 and 550 b. c. It is clear from the study of Daniel 
that the prophet had figured out some dates as to the 
time the captivity should end; this he had gathered from 
his study of the prophecy of Jeremiah. We may call 
Daniel a “book of visions 77 and spiritualize away its con¬ 
tents as best we can, but when you have done that it is 
impossible to get away from the fact that there is in the 
book a historical and chronological order of kingdoms 
and events described with unerring accuracy. 

One may say the same thing about the book of Reve¬ 
lation. It too may be looked upon by some as “a book 
of visions, 77 written sometime during the reign of Nero 
or Domitian to comfort the Christians who were en- 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


169 


during the bitter persecutions under these two inhuman 
emperors. But after you have said that, how are you 
going to account for the accuracy with which the order 
of events find their narration? Surely not on the basis 
of any “ visionary hypothesis. ’ ’ 

Perhaps w r e could say that both Anna and Simeon, as 
they were “looking for the consolation of Israel’’ and 
the Saviour of the world, had some consciousness of the 
nearness of the time of the First Coming of Christ. It 
had been revealed to Simeon that “he should not taste 
of death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Per¬ 
haps, as the “wise men” they had some basis of cal¬ 
culating times and seasons. 

That Christ Himself recognized such periods as “times 
and seasons” (Acts 1:7), “the end of the age” (Matt. 
14:39), “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24), 
“that day and that hour” (Matt. 24:36), there surely 
can be no question. 

So it would be unwise of us to pay absolutely no at¬ 
tention to periods, “times and seasons,” and such other 
periods of time on which the Word of God lays emphasis 
and to which our attention is drawn therein. Further, 
Jesus distinctly exhorts His followers not to ignore cer¬ 
tain events and “signs” which are to be regarded as 
harbingers of His near approach: 11 When ye see these 
things begin to come to pass, then lift up your heads for 
he is nigh, even at the doors” (Matt. 24:33). Indeed 
Jesus rebukes the people for being unable to read the 
signs of the times, even as they prided themselves on 
being weather prophets (Matt. 16:1-4). The predictive 
element in the Bible must not be neglected or despised 
even when it undertakes to enlighten the devout student 
with regard to future impending events. 


170 


THE COMING KING 


“Second-Sight” 

We do not ignore what we know as “second-sight” as 
we meet it in certain people. Note the following: 

“CHRIST IS COMING—A FACT!!” 

(Culled from “The Daily News” Feb. 4th, 1919 — 

Abbreviated) 

It is a Fact, that the Bible contains prophecies that the 
Jews should be driven from Palestine—remain for a 
long time without a king, yet never come to a full end. 
This land was to remain desolate for many generations, 
until . . . (Deut. 28 and 29; Jer. 30:10-11; Hos. 
3:4; Lev. 26). 

It is a Fact, that these predictions have been literally 
fulfilled, thus establishing their superhuman origin. 

It is a Fact, that from the seventeenth century students 
of Biblical prophecy have been able to foresee most un¬ 
likely events which should indicate the near Advent of 
Christ. Included among such signs may be mentioned 
the ending of the temporal power of the Papacy, the 
drying up of the Turkish power, the first stages of 
Israel’s restoration to Palestine, and concurrently there¬ 
with “a horrible and unheard-of preparation for War.” 

It is a Fact, that these anticipations have been ful¬ 
filled ! 

It is a Fact, that in 1850 Dr. J. Thomas published a 
book ... in which ... he showed that, in the 
restoration of Israel to their land, they would return in 
unbelief of the Messiahship of Jesus, and that Britain 
would act as a protecting Power, acquiring predomi¬ 
nance in Palestine, and promoting its colonization by 
J ews. 

It is a Fact, that since 1860 there has been consider¬ 
able development in Palestine; at the outbreak of war 
between fifty and sixty Jewish colonies had been estab¬ 
lished in the Land. 

It is a Fact, that in November, 1917, Mr. Balfour— 
Foreign Minister—wrote a letter, intimating that the 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


171 


British Government “view with favour the establish¬ 
ment in Palestine of a National home for the Jewish 
people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate 
the achievement of this object / 9 

It is a Fact, that in Dr. J. Thomas’ book, he declared 
on the basis of Isaiah 43 that Britain, the protecting 
Power, would be in charge over Egypt, Ethiopia, and 
Seba. 

It is a Fact, that Britain went to Egypt in 1882, and 
that ancient Ethiopia and Seba correspond to territory 
added to Egypt by Lord Kitchener. . . . 

It is contended, that these signs, coupled with world¬ 
wide unrest, indicate the speedy Return of the Lord 
Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God, and in¬ 
stitute a time of profound and universal peace. 

“What God does not rule, He can overrule.” 

A book written by the late Dr. Samuel Bagster, of the 
Christian Herald , London, England, sometime about 
1866, which describes with quite substantial accuracy 
events connected with the World War of 1914-1918, 
created an exceedingly great amount of interest. So 
also a volume from the pen of the late Dr. Grattan 
Guinness, of London, written some forty years ago, and 
in which he says “that Christians living in 1917 would 
witness a crisis in connection with the restoration of 
Jerusalem.” Was it not in December, 1917, that Gen¬ 
eral Allenby captured the holy city of Jerusalem? 

It is said that when Henry the Second of England 
visited Jerusalem, there were given to him the keys of 
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre until the time should 
come when the British should liberate Jerusalem from 
the hands of its enemies, the Turk. And was it not 
Britain that actually liberated Jerusalem and that to¬ 
day holds the mandate over the holy land ? 

We do not altogether pass over such things. We at 


172 


THE COMING KING 


least “stop, look, and listen.” Our curiosity is aroused 
to say the least. Shall we pass over lightly and without 
any thought then what the Word of God has to say with 
reference to certain great future events? And yet we 
must not for one moment forget in this connection that 
we are dealing with events, not dates. No so-called 
“Historical” method of Bible study should be permitted 
to rob us of the “Predictive” element in the Scriptures. 
Nor should we overlook the fact that our Lord promised 
His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit 
and that He would “show them the things to come.” 
Further, God has distinctly promised to reveal future 
things unto His children (Amos 3:7). Was not the 
revelation regarding the glorious events connected with 
Christ’s coming for His saints, by “the Word of the 
Lord”? 

There are really two great schools of thought in con¬ 
nection with the consideration of the time of Christ’s 
Coming: the premillennialist, holding to the belief that 
there can be no Millennium until the Christ comes to 
reign as King on the earth; and the postmillennialist, 
maintaining that it is the duty of the Church through its 
spiritual agencies to usher in the Millennium and then, 
and not until then, will Christ come. 1 

. 1 Of course there is a division among the premillennialists as to 
just when Christ will come, and while all are agreed that He 
must come before there can be a Millennium, some among them 
believe that the Coming is not “ imminent,” that is it cannot take 
place at “ any moment,” but that the Church must go either part 
way or all the way through “the great tribulation” ere Christ 
descends from heaven for His Church. Perhaps this difference 
of opinion comes from the amount of time devoted by the pre¬ 
millennialists to the general subject, for without unfairness to the 
postmillennialists it may be said that a far greater amount of 
time is devoted to the subject and to books written about it than 
is characteristic of the postmillennial side. 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


173 


2. Could Christ really come to-day? 

The answer to this question depends upon just how 
the Coming of Christ is defined, and from what view¬ 
point it is considered. There are said to be two stages 
in the Coming: first, Christ’s Coming for the Church; 
secondly, His Coming with the Church. According, 
even to premillennialists, Christ could not come to-day, 
if by that Coming is meant the setting up of His Millen¬ 
nial Reign upon the earth, for there are many signs yet 
to be fulfilled before that event can transpire. There 
are many premillennialists, however—perhaps the over¬ 
whelming majority of them—who maintain that Christ 
could come at “any moment” to take away His Church. 

Perhaps it would not be out of place just at this point 
to briefly outline what, according to the premillennialist, 
is the program of the Coming—only in a general way 
of course, for it is not maintained for a single moment 
that God has revealed the details of His program but 
just the great, broad outlines, that is all. This then is 
the suggested order: 

And let us not forget in this connection that the Sec¬ 
ond Coming of Christ is not—as a prominent post- 
millennial writer said some time ago, and by the way he 
should have known better—“a nitroglycerine explo¬ 
sion,” “a flash in the pan crisis,” “and then the world 
ends, and all is over . 9 9 These are the ideas conveyed, if 
not perhaps the exact words. Now the Second Coming 
of Christ is not such a crisis, a dot, a flash, an explosion, 
and then all is over. It is, in one sense, a crisis, but it is 
a crisis with a view to a process; it is the beginning of a 
long program that may cover many, many centuries, even 
one event in it covering a thousand years. Here are 
the items of the general outline program: the raising of 


174 


THE COMING KING 


the righteous dead; changing of the righteous living; 
rapture of both to meet the Lord in the clouds to be 
forever with the Lord; then perhaps the Judgment Seat 
of Christ at which the saints receive their reward, and 
some think the Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place 
here, although others put this event until the Coming 
of Christ with His saints; then—how soon after the 
rapture no one perhaps knows—begins the seventieth 
week of Daniel, a period of time which has to do with 
the chosen people of God while in their own land; the 
Great Tribulation at the close of which Christ comes with 
His saints to deliver His chosen people from their 
enemies, and at which time the battle of Har-Magedon 
and the Judgment of the Living Nations for their treat¬ 
ment of the Jews (Matt. 25) will take place; the Millen¬ 
nial Reign of Christ is then set up on the earth, during 
which time Satan is bound; at the close of the Millen¬ 
nium Satan is loosed, there is a final revolt of the forces 
of evil (Gog and Magog) under the leadership of Satan, 
their ultimate and final defeat; then the Great White 
Throne Judgment at which time the wicked dead are 
raised and judged; then, and finally, comes the “new 
heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteous¬ 
ness. 9 9 This, in brief and broad outline, is what is com¬ 
prehended in what the premillennialist speaks of as 
“The Second Coming of Christ .’ 9 And for the under¬ 
standing of his position regarding this doctrine, this out¬ 
line must be kept in mind, so that when certain passages 
of Scripture dealing with the Coming of Christ are 
quoted, they may be put in their proper place and under 
their proper heading, thus avoiding confusion. 

Because there are good and holy and scholarly men on 
both sides of this question it should be possible to discuss 


THE TIME OF CHBIST’S COMING 


175 


this doctrine, and even to differ about some of its details, 
without any bitterness of spirit. But, alas! we are afraid 
these differences at times cause feeling bordering on 
hatred. The personal element should be eliminated. 
The evidence for the doctrine contended for is outside 
of man anyway; it is objective, not subjective; Scrip¬ 
ture is the final arbiter. And we should not forget that 
the glory of Protestantism is that the individual Chris¬ 
tian conscience enlightened by the Holy Ghost is the 
final judge as between man and man. This is what 
Luther contended for, and it is that principle for which 
we must still protest. To resort to abuse on either side 
is not only unchristian; it is cowardly. Abuse is the 
weapon of cowards; it is resorted to only when argument 
has failed. A true, noble man never resorts to it. De¬ 
nunciation is not information, nor is destruction instruc¬ 
tion. We should approach the subject with an unbiased 
and unprejudiced mind. No one man is big enough to 
have the only conception of all the truth. Truths and 
facts are stubborn things, but they are comparatively 
easy to overcome as compared with prejudices. This is 
well illustrated in the disputes between labour and 
capital: the facts are easy to get at, but the prejudices 
of men are almost impossible to overcome. In Chris¬ 
tianity it ought not to be so; in true Christianity it will 
not be so. Let us then be truly Christian. 

At a recent Conference held in California, a bishop, 
addressing the ministers in his diocese, told them “that 
he had full authority over the Sunday schools within his 
diocese, and that if they had a teacher who believed in 
and taught the Premillennial Coming of Christ, he 
should be put out of the Sunday school.’’ Can you con¬ 
ceive of a tyranny more “popish” than that? Why, that 


176 


THE COMING KING 


would exclude the founder of the denomination to which 
the bishop belonged, for he was a premillennialist. 
Since when has any man or bishop been crowned “pope” 
in Protestantism ? Never, and we trust God it never will 
be. The Church of Christ should rise up and rid herself 
of such “czarism,” and oligarchy. It is an attempt at 
religious despotism, and will not be tolerated in any de¬ 
nomination long. 

Another bishop, addressing a conference of ministers 
in Newark, New Jersey, warned them against being car¬ 
ried away with “these currents of ephemeral thought,” 
and with “ideas that are easily absorbed or wrought out 
without the utmost deliberation.” He then went on to 
illustrate what he meant, and said, “When you deal, for 
instance, with the Second Coming of Christ, and take it 
out of its proper setting, and so magnify it as to make it 
a school of religion, you are dealing unfairly with the 
book of the Master. You do it at the cost of results that 
are fundamental to the welfare of the people.” With 
the latter part of this quotation we are in sympathy, but 
to refer to premillennialism as “a current of ephemeral 
thought” and as “an idea” without “thought” and 
“deliberation,” then we maintain it is time to protest 
for such a charge can be laid against postmillennialism 
equally and perhaps more so than against premillennial¬ 
ism—that is if we grant the charge to be true in either 
case. Such a statement as these bishops made is a direct 
insult to the godly, scholarly and devout men of the 
Church of Christ throughout all the Christian centuries 
who have held to the premillennial view of the Coming 
of Christ. Well would it be for those bishops to pay 
attention to the propagation of the false and pernicious 
doctrine that is being preached in pulpits of their own 


177 


THE TIME OF CHKIST’S COMING 

dioceses, for as one has well said, “Doctrines and move¬ 
ments draining both the strength and rolls of the 
churches are often passed by in silence, whereas they 
are often bitterly and openly assailed who rejoice in 
the blessed hope—the personal return of the Lord from 
heaven. ’ ’—Haven. 

(a) The Premillennial Position. 

The premillennialist holds to his particular view re¬ 
garding the Coming Again of Christ for the following 
reasons: 

(1) First, he maintains that it is according to the 
teaching of the New Testament. 

According to this view, it is held that the Scriptures 
of the New Testament, if rightly interpreted, compel that 
one view the Coming of Christ as taking place before 
there can be a Millennium, and that this was the belief 
and teaching of the Apostles. 

That the New Testament Christians really believed in 
the imminent Coming of Christ there can be no doubt. 
Even the most ardent opponents of premillennialism ad¬ 
mit this. Dr. Shaler Matthews, Dean of the Divinity 
School of Chicago, and a man who is totally out of sym¬ 
pathy with the doctrine of the Second Coming from the 
Pre’s point of view, acknowledges that “the early Chris¬ 
tians believed that Jesus would return during the life¬ 
time of their generation,” and that <( this hope is on 
every page of the New Testament ” (Italics ours). Dr. 
Brighton of Boston University admitted that “pre- 
millennialists were right if verbal inspiration is right.” 
Dr. Shannon, in commenting on the position of a fellow 
pastor said that “if the Bible were correct, then the 
brother was correct in his premillennial views,” but that 
he “did not believe that the Bible was correct.” Even 


178 


THE COMING KING 


Dr. Snowden, who has written one of the strongest books 
on the postmillennial view of the Coming of Christ, de¬ 
clares that “the Second Coming of Christ is the sunrise 
hope of the New Testament.” He continues, “This 
blessed hope of His return overreaches the lengthening 
day in which we live and work, and is the golden link 
which binds His first and His second coming. This is 
that ‘blessed hope’ which has been cherished through all 
the Christian centuries and which gives final value to the 
reign of Christ and the kingdom of God. ’ ’ 1 

One whose writings bitterly assail the premillennial 
position is compelled to admit this Scriptural evidence 
enough to say, “Nearly every New Testament writer 
looks for the return of the Lord to establish His king¬ 
dom in undisputed and universal sway. Of this there 
can be no doubt. That the early Christians did in one 
way or another believe in a coming reign of Christ upon 
the earth is a simple fact of history. This fact must be 
accepted as such, however it is explained. It cannot be 
explained away. Intellectual honesty forbids us to take 
refuge in a process of spiritualizing those passages which 
record that hope. These passages meant what they said. 
The grounds for this expectation provide matter for in¬ 
quiry, but the fact of the expectation must be admitted 
by all. ’ ’—Moore. 

This is sufficient evidence and testimony, even from 
the opposing side, to show that such a belief as the pre- 
millennialists hold is in accord with the statements of 
the New Testament, “our enemies themselves being the 
judges” and witnesses. Of course, the reliability and de¬ 
pendability of the New Testament are questioned by 
these writers. They claim that while the apostles taught 
1 “ The Coming of the Lord,” by Haven, p. 4. 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


179 


and the early Christians believed in such a view of the 
Coming of Christ, they were in error and mistaken, and 
“their mistakes had to be admitted bravely.’’ 

From all this it should seem clear that the issue after 
all is whether the New Testament is a dependable reve¬ 
lation. It is admitted that the Scriptures teach the pre- 
millennial view of Christ’s return, but can we believe 
what the Scriptures say? Those holding the premillen- 
nial position, almost to a man, indeed we recall no ex¬ 
ception, maintain their faith in the absolute integrity 
and authority of the Scriptures, while the postmillen- 
nialist, must, logically, holding that the New Testament 
teaches premillennialism, hold that the Scriptures are not 
a final and authoritative revelation. 1 

So another postmillennial writer has put the matter 
this way: The only question before the world in this 
matter is this: “Is the Bible the inerrant Word of God, 
or is it simply a record of spiritual experience and 
thought, reflecting the religious knowledge and institu¬ 
tions of the ages in which the several parts were written ? 
If you believe it is the inerrant Word of God, then you 
belong to the Second Coming.” It was Dr. George Ellis, 
a leading spirit among the Unitarians, who said that 
“the Trinitarians were right providing that their views 
of the inspiration of the Scriptures were admitted.” A 
candid confession to make, surely. 

From all this I think it will be apparent to sober 
thought that after all it is not so much a doctrine that 
premillennialists are contending for, but the dependabil- 

1 One would not like to charge this position regarding the relia¬ 
bility of the Scriptures upon all those who do not hold the pre- 
millennial position. If, however, one maintains that the New 
Testament does teach it and yet he denies it, how can such a 
position be defined? 


180 


THE COMING KING 


ity and authority of the Bible as the supreme and final 
revelation of the mind and will of God for man. 

(2) The words of Jesus to the Apostle John (John 

21 : 21 , 22 ). 

In verses eighteen to twenty Jesus had told Peter how 
he (Peter) should die. Peter is inquisitive as to what 
would happen to John whom he sees approaching. Jesus 
answers Peter’s inquiry, “And what shall this man 
(John) do?” with the words: “If I will that he tarry 
till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.” 
* ‘ This saying therefore went abroad among the disciples, 
that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto 
him that he should not die; but, If I will that he tarry 
till I come, what is that to thee?” 

Premillennialists maintain that it is fair to believe that 
John, and the other disciples, were fully justified in be¬ 
lieving that it was possible for Jesus to return during 
the lifetime of the Apostle John. It may have been 
that this was one of the sayings of inspired writ which 
gave the early Christians basis for their hope of the 
imminent Coming of the Lord. That the words “Till I 
come,” cannot refer to “death,” the “destruction of 
Jerusalem,” or “the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pente¬ 
cost” is clear from the arguments presented on pages 
69-73 of this book. The words to Peter make the 
words to John mean just the opposite of death, and 
these words were written long after Pentecost and the 
destruction of the city of Jerusalem. 

The Case of Peter and Paul 

An objection has been raised, however, to these verses 
teaching the imminency of Christ’s coming because 
Peter’s death is distinctly foretold, even to its manner, 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


181 


therefore Christ could not come during the lifetime of 
Peter. It is unquestionably true that, according to this 
interpretation of Christ’s words—and we think it is fair 
—Christ could not come during Peter’s lifetime. 
But we should not forget that Peter could have died at 
“any moment.” Those were perilous days in which the 
apostle was living. Herod had stretched out his hand 
and killed James in a day; he could do the same with 
Peter, indeed he intended to, and would have done so, 
for he had already put Peter into prison for that pur¬ 
pose, had not the Lord supernaturally interfered (Acts 
12:1-25). The apostles, indeed all Christians, in those 
days “stood in jeopardy every hour ”; their lives were 
not safe one day at a time. One wonders if Peter himself 
did not have this in mind when, in his second epistle 
(1:13, 14) he says: “And I think it right, so long as I 
am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in 
remembrance: knowing that the putting off of my taber¬ 
nacle comoth swiftly , even as our Lord Jesus Christ sig¬ 
nified unto me.” Did not the apostle himself feel that 
it was but a matter of a short time, indeed, at any time, 
that he might be called upon to die? Therefore seeing 
he could die at “any moment,” there was evidently 
nothing in the way of believing that Jesus could come 
at any moment. And let us not forget that it is also true 
that at any moment after Peter’s death the Lord could 
have come. Certainly there is now no barrier to the Lord’s 
Coming so far as the case of Peter is concerned. How¬ 
ever “living” that issue might have been then, it is 
“dead” now. It is of interest to note that Peter wrote 
this second epistle, in which he speaks of dying 
“swiftly,” in the same year in which he actually died 
(67 or 68 a. dJ. 


182 


THE COMING KING 


In this connection the objection to onr Lord’s immi¬ 
nent Coming as taken from Paul’s vision in which it was 
declared that he should see Rome and bear witness there, 
is brought up. This is the argument: ‘ ‘ It had been re¬ 
vealed to Paul in a vision’’ (Acts 23:11) that he should 
bear witness for Christ in Rome. “ And in the night 
following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good 
cheer: for as thou hast testified of me at Jerusalem, so 
must thou bear witness also at Rome.” Again, in 
Romans 15:24 and 28 Paul refers to his intention to 
visit Rome, fully expecting that his intention will be 
canied out. Now,” say those who oppose the imminent 
Coming of the Lord, “how could Paul expect the Lord 
to come at any moment, as it is claimed the letters to the 
Thessalonians teach, when he knew from the vision which 
the Lord had vouchsafed him that he must bear witness 
for Christ in Rome?” 

The answer to this objection must take cognizance of 
the chionology of Paul’s life, journeys and writings. 
The epistles to the Thessalonians w T ere written (52 a. d.) 
some five years before the references in Acts and Romans. 
Nor should we overlook the fact that the reference in 
Romans was made before Paul received the vision as 
recorded in Acts 23, and so is not to be considered out 
of harmony with the views regarding the Coming as ex¬ 
pressed in 1 Thessalonians, always provided, of course, 
that such were according to the divine will (Rom. 15:32) 
and that the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:13-17) did not take 
place before. The date of the epistle of the Romans is 
probably the spring of 57 A. d. and was written while 
Paul was at Corinth. It was not until later in that year, 
while a prisoner at Jerusalem, that he had the vision 
referred to in Acts 23, with regard to seeing Rome. 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


183 


Further, there is no evidence that Paul communicated 
the vision he had received to others. In that event the 
fact of the vision would not counter-effect any of his 
teaching as to the imminency of Christ’s Coming, such 
as had been expressed in the Thessalonian epistles. In 
connection also with Paul’s statement that “He was now 
ready to be offered and the time of his departure was at 
hand” it should not be overlooked that he might well 
have made such a statement with the proviso in mind 
that such an event would take place, unless the Lord 
came and thus delivered him out of the mouth of the 
lion. “If the Lord tarry,” is a saying that could have 
been in the heart of the apostle just as many a saint of 
God to-day who believes in the imminency of the Lord’s 
Coming makes plans for a journey, but always with the 
thought in his heart, yea, and ofttimes expressed, “If 
the Lord tarry” and “if God will” (James 4:13-17). 
However, neither the case of Peter nor Paul affords an 
obstacle to the imminent coming of our Lord in our day, 
even if they ever did in the times of the apostles them¬ 
selves. Certain it is that John had a right to believe, 
even in harmony with impression the words of Jesus 
left upon the minds of the brethren, that he might live 
to see the Coming of Christ. 

(3) That the imminent Coming of Christ is justly in¬ 
ferred from PauVs statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:13- 
18. 

This is how the passage reads: 11 For I would not have 
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are 
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no 
hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, 
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring 
with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the 


184 


THE COMING KING 


Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the com¬ 
ing of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which 
are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from 
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 
and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall 
rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be 
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the 
Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’’ 

In order that we may understand these words it is 
necessary to comprehend Paul’s purpose in writing this 
epistle. The Thessalonian Christians, perhaps above 
those of any other Christian Church, were intensely in¬ 
terested in the Coming of the Lord. As has been before 
mentioned each chapter in the epistle ends with 
a reference to the Second Coming of Christ. The ranks 
of the Church in Thessalonica were being decimated by 
death, and those remaining alive were plunged into sor¬ 
row because they thought their loved ones who had died 
would not have any share in the glory of the Coming of 
Christ. The apostle, therefore, writes this epistle to com¬ 
fort them on this particular point, and to assure them 
that when the Lord does come He will not neglect their 
righteous dead, but will really deal with them before the 
living, for “the dead in Christ will rise first; then we 
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord 
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds 
. . . to be forever with the Lord.” It is maintained 

by those believing in the Premillennial Coming of Christ 
that a fair interpretation and inference from the use of 
the words “we” (16, 18) and “you” (18-18) lead us 
to believe that the Thessalonians had a right to expect 
that Christ could (not that He would) come at any time, 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


185 


even during the lifetime of those then living, otherwise, 
it is argued, what comfort would there have been to those 
bereaved Thessalonians to be told that some time, at the 
last day, in the general resurrection, they would see 
their loved ones again. What unique and particular 
comfort would there be in that, for is it not true that 
such a prospect as that is held out for all? 

Jesus and Martha 

One is reminded in this connection of the conversation 
which took place between Jesus and Martha in connec¬ 
tion with the raising of Lazarus. Martha said, perhaps 
petulantly and complainingly, gently reproaching the 
Master for His seeming negligence, by delaying His 
coming when news was carried to Him that Lazarus was 
sick: 4 ‘Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not 
died.” The reply of Jesus was, “Thy brother shall rise 
again.” Martha said, “I know that he shall rise again 
at the resurrection at the last day” (and, shall we add 
these words, which we think are understood although not 
expressed in the sacred text?) “but of what comfort is 
that to me now?” You see it was 'present comfort that 
Martha was needing and wanted, and the thought of a 
meeting that was postponed to some distant future day 
did not heal her broken heart now. It was then that 
Jesus gave expression to those memorable words, “I am 
the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). It was 
as though Jesus said, “If I can raise your brother at the 
last day, cannot I raise him now? Do you believe that?” 
Martha replied, “Yea, Lord, I believe.” And her brother 
was raised. So it is believed that Paul intended to con¬ 
vey some such present comfort to the Thessalonian Chris¬ 
tians by the use of “we” and “you.” Do not these 


186 


THE COMING KING 


words, grammatically, compel us to put such a con¬ 
struction on them? This being so, we may say that the 
Thessalonians might reasonably expect from these com¬ 
forting words of Paul that some of them then living 
might witness the Coming of Christ. 

Of course, we are aware that we have a somewhat 
although not exactly similar “we” in 1 Corinthians 
15:51: “We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be 
changed, ’ ’ and perhaps it is true that a proper interpre¬ 
tation of these words might be made to refer to those 
Christians who would be living at the time of Christ’s 
Coming whenever that might be. Nevertheless we be¬ 
lieve that the purpose of the writing of the Thessalonian 
epistle and the immediate context justifies us in making 
a more personal and imminent application to the “we” 
and “you” as found there which we cannot make in 1 
Corinthians 15. It would be difficult to see how there 
could be any comfort to these bereaved Thessalonians to 
tell them that awful sorrows, worse trials, even “The 
Great Tribulation” lay before them before they would 
see their loved ones. 

(4) The constant and repeated exhortations of our 
Lord to His people to be constantly on the “watch” and 
“ready” for His Coming most certainly lead us to believe 
that it was an event that might take place at any moment. 

It would be folly, it seems to us, to exhort to such 
watchfulness if certain great and recognizable events 
must of necessity take place before the Coming of the 
Lord, such as “the Great Tribulation,” and the “Millen¬ 
nium” or “Thousand Years’ Reign.” 

Let us note some of these exhortations: “Let your 
loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye 
yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when 


187 


THE TIME OF CHKIST’S COMING 

he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh 
and knocketh, they may open to him immediately. 
Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh 
shall find watching. . . . And if he shall come in the 
second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them 
so, blessed are those servants. And this know that if the 
good man of the house had known what hour the thief 
would come, he would have watched and not have suf¬ 
fered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore 
ready also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when 
ye think not. . . . But and if that servant shall say 
in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming . . . the 
lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh 
not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware and 
will cut him in sunder and will appoint him his portion 
with the unbeliever. And that servant which knew his 
lord’s will and did it not neither prepared himself for it, 
shall be beaten with many stripes” (Luke 12: 35-47). 

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not 
the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the 
days of Noah were ... and ... as the days that 
were before the flood ... so shall also the coming of 
the Son of Man be. . . . Watch therefore: for ye know 
not what hour your Lord doth come. But this know, 
that if the good man of the house had known in what 
hour the thief would come, he would have watched and 
not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore 
be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the 
Son of Man cometh. The Lord of that servant shall 
come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an 
hour when he is not aware of” (Matt. 24:24-50). 
“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the 
hour wherein the Son of Man cometh” (25:13). 


188 


THE COMING KING 


“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your 
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, 
and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you 
unawares. For as a snare shall it come upon them that 
dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, 
and pray always, that ye may be counted worthy to 
escape all these things that shall come to pass and to 
stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21: 34-36). 

It cannot be overlooked, in the quotations just made,— 
and there are many more such—that our Lord commends 
those who are on the constant lookout and always watch¬ 
ing for His coming, and that He condemns that ‘ ‘ unfaith¬ 
ful servant” who is always claiming that the Lord “de- 
layeth his coming, ’ ’ and therefore does not order his life 
in the light of the imminency of that Coming. This is 
certainly so or words have no meaning. 

Further, a closer study of the meaning of the words of 
these exhortations enforce the claim to an imminent 
watching. Those servants are to be “on the lookout for 
their lord till he return from the wedding feast,” that 
is to say their attitude is to be just the opposite of those 
“virgins” who “all slumbered and slept,” and that “un¬ 
faithful servant ’ ’ who was continually saying in his heart 
that his lord “delayeth” his return. Their “lamps” 
must be “trimmed and burning” and not “going out.” 
Their “loins” must be “girt about” indicating readiness 
for immediate departure. They must “watch” and 
“look” ( gregoreo ), that is be attentive, alert, awake, cir¬ 
cumspect, vigilant—the opposite of “asleep” (1 Thess. 
5:10; Matt. 25:13). They must be “ready” ( hetoi - 
mazo), an attitude which denotes the very opposite of 
“not to be expecting,” “not keeping awake” and indi¬ 
cates “readiness with promptness of mind” (so Matt. 


THE TIME OF CHBIST’S COMING 


189 


24:44; Luke 12:47, 48). It is the opposite of “to lin¬ 
ger/’ to “while away the time/’ and of “tarrying’’ 
(kronizo, Matt. 24:48; Luke 12:45; Heb. 10:37; Matt. 
25:5; Luke 1:21). “Beady” is the opposite of “not 
thinking of,” “not expecting” ( prosdokao , Matt. 24: 
50). So we are to be “watchful,” “on the alert,” 
“wakeful” (as Matt. 24:13, 42, 43:—“keep awake 
therefore,” and, immediately, there follows the parable 
of the Ten Virgins; so 25: 43 says, 11 he would have kept 
awake”). In Mark 13: 33-37 the word “watch” occurs 
three times in four verses. 

(5) Moreover, we find similar exhortations to watch¬ 
fulness in the Epistles. 

The Thessalonian Christians are commended because 
they not only “turned from idols to serve the living and 
true God, ’ ’ but also because it was characteristic of them 
that they did “wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Epistle 
1 : 10 ). 

Paul, in writing to Titus, declares what he understands 
by the Gospel, and in referring particularly to its obliga¬ 
tions, says: 1 ‘ For the grace of God which bringeth salva¬ 
tion hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying 
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for 
that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great 
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13). 
Does it not seem from these words of Paul that it is as 
much a part of the Gospel to look for the Coming of 
Christ as it is to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts”? 
Without question it is so. 

“For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait 
(look) for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” is the word 
of the great apostle in writing to the Philippians (3:20). 


190 


THE COMING KING 


The idea in this verse (derived from the Greek words 
pros and apekdexomai) suggest “attention/’ “tense 
watchfulness/’ “waiting and looking for with eager¬ 
ness.” How could a body of Christians maintain such 
an attitude if they did not believe in the possibility of 
that event, for which they were earnestly looking, taking 
place at any time ? It is unreasonable to suppose it. 

With what eagerness the people waited for the return 
of the high priest from his ministrations in the Most 
Holy Place in order that they might be assured that their 
offering had been accepted! Do we not recall how fever¬ 
ishly and nervously anxious they were when Zacharias 
stayed in the Holy Place much longer than they expected 
(Luke 1:21, “And the people were waiting for Zach¬ 
arias, and they marvelled at his tarrying in the tem¬ 
ple”) ? It is just this idea that the writer to the He¬ 
brews has in mind when he says ‘ ‘ So Christ also, having 
been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a 
second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, 
unto salvation” (9:28). Just that same anxious, eager 
frame of mind should characterize the believer in look¬ 
ing for his Great High Priest to come forth from the 
presence of God where He went to present the blood of 
the atonement as characterized those men and women of 
the Old Testament days as they awaited the outcoming 
of their high priest to assure them that God had ac¬ 
cepted their offering and pardoned their sins. 

Says Peter, in his second epistle (3:11, 12), “Seeing 
that these things are to be dissolved, what manner of 
persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, 
looking for and earnestly desiring (hastening) the com¬ 
ing of the day of God.” The Greek words here which 
describe the attitude of the true Christian in relation 


191 


THE TIME OF CHBIST’S COMING 

to the Coming of the Lord ( prosdokao ) mean to ponder, 
think upon, beware of, to look for with intense anticipa¬ 
tion j it is ( speudo ) to impel oneself onto, to give dili¬ 
gence to, to press oneself forward into (Acts 20:16). 
When, as in Luke 2:15, 16, it is coupled with another 
verb, it is to be read as an adverb, e. g., 1 ‘ hastily,” 
“quickly” (Luke 19:5, 6; Acts 28:18); it means to 
vehemently desire, most earnestly look for a thing to 
happen. 

Had we time and space more words could be examined 
which describe the nature of the believer's attitude to¬ 
ward the Coming of the Lord Jesus, and it would be 
seen that they all contain the idea of expecting that 
event as something imminent. 

Says Dr. A. Maclaren, “Paul's Christianity gathered 
around two facts and two moments—one in the past, that 
Christ has come; one in the future, Christ will come. 

“For memory, the Coming by the Cradle and the 
Cross. For hope, the Coming on His Throne in glory. 
And between these two moments, like the solid piers of a 
suspension bridge, the frail structure of the present 
hangs swinging! . . . We shall not understand Scrip¬ 
ture unless we seek to make as prominent in our thoughts, 
as on its pages, that Second Coming. ... It colours 
all the New Testament views of life. It is used as a 
magnet to draw men to Jesus Christ by a salutary dread. 
It is used as a motive for every duty.” 

The Meaning of “Imminent” 

There has been a good deal of misunderstanding with 
regard to what is meant by the expression, “the im¬ 
minence of His Coming.” The word “imminent” does 
not convey the idea that the Second Coming of Christ 


192 


THE COMING KING 


is actually close at hand, nor that it is absolutely sure 
that they will be fulfilled within the life of this genera¬ 
tion or century. Never since Christ and His Apostles 
taught the Second Coming has the Church at any time 
said that Christ would come during the lifetime of any 
one generation; it has held that He could and might be 
seen in the glory of His Coming at any time. Some one 
has used the illustration of the 44 balancing rock” to il¬ 
lumine the meaning of the word. 44 It is as if a rock were 
delicately poised; it might remain standing a thousand 
years, or it might fall within a few hours.” So is it with 
the Coming of Christ. It is better to say it is “im¬ 
minent” than “impending,” for the latter word implies 
a remote, and somewhat excludes a near, future. So we 
understand the New Testament to teach that the coming 
of Christ is an event not that will occur at once or even 
soon—although the Saviour did give certain signs in¬ 
dicative of its nearness—but that it may occur at any 
moment. 


“Speedily,” “Quickly,” “At Hand” 

Great care should be exercised in computing time as 
used by God in the Scriptures. Heaven’s time may not 
be accurately gauged always by earthly almanacs. A 
famous statesman, some time ago, told some men who had 
come to him with alarming forebodings of foreign in¬ 
vasion, that they needed to 4 4 procure larger maps . 9 9 One 
has well said, 4 4 There are no mile-posts among the stars. 
Light and space quite sweep away our little measure¬ 
ments. ’ ’ The story of our planets tells us that. So with 
regard to the study of prophecy and prophetic times and 
periods—we need to understand that larger scale on 
which divine events are taking place. 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


193 


Even when speaking of time in human terms such 
words as “speedily” and “shortly” may have a differ¬ 
ence of meaning as to length of time. For example, a 
man may come quickly from next door and will occupy 
but a few moments in coming. The man who comes 
quickly from the next city will take a longer time in 
coming, while the man who comes from some distant 
country, even though he come quickly, will surely take a 
much longer time on the journey. Then again, one may 
come quickly and yet the length of time will be de¬ 
pendent upon the things, be they few or many, he has 
to do on the journey. Yet in each instance each man 
may be coming “quickly” and as “speedily” as possible 
—the man from the far country just as “quickly” as the 
man from next door. The Church of Christ does not 
know how many things her Lord has to do while on the 
journey, how many events have to be fulfilled, nor how 
many engagements kept while en route, therefore she will 
be ever on the watch-tower looking for the coming of her 
Lord. She will not grow weary nor fall “asleep” while 
waiting, as did the “Virgins,” nor accuse her Lord of 
“delay” as did the “unfaithful servant.” 

A Biblical illustration of the divine method of com¬ 
puting time is seen in the case of the high priest of the 
Levitical economy as compared with the Great High 
Priest of the Christian faith, even Jesus Christ. The 
service of the earthly tabernacle was a type of the 
heavenly we are told. Jesus Christ did, redemptively, 
in the heavenly sanctuary, exactly what the Aaronic 
high priest did in connection with the redemptive ritual 
in the Tabernacle and Temple. The blood of the offer¬ 
ing was taken by the high priest into the Most Holy 
Place and there presented by him before Jehovah. How 


194 


THE COMING KING 


long the high priest stayed in the Most Holy Place we do 
not know, but, evidently, not very long, for the people 
stood without awaiting his coming (Luke 1:21). Cer¬ 
tain it is that he never sat down while in there. There 
was no provision for sitting down. The priests minis¬ 
tered ‘ ‘ standing ’ ’ (Heb. 10:11), not sitting. Yet Christ, 
in His redemptive work, after He had presented the 
blood of atonement “sat down” at the right hand of 
God, “waiting/’ “expecting” until His enemies become 
His footstool. That “waiting” has lasted almost two 
thousand years. You can see that although Christ ac¬ 
tually fulfilled, to the very letter and in its complete¬ 
ness, the typical high priesthood of the Old Testament, 
yet He “sat down,” “waited,” in the presence of God. 
And yet the Scripture does not even intimate that there 
is the slightest inconsistency between the type and anti¬ 
type. Of course there is not when we remind ourselves 
that heaven’s method of computing time and ours may 
be and are altogether different. 

“A Little While”—“Delay” 

But, to carry this idea a little further, a close study of 
the New Testament will reveal the fact that what even 
the New Testament calls “short,” the Old Testament 
may refer to as “delay.” For example, in Hebrews 
10: 37, we have the words, “For yet a very little while, 
he that cometh shall come and shall not tarry.” Yet 
the Old Testament passage from which this verse is taken 
(Hab. 2:3, f.) speaks of delay: “For the vision is yet 
for an appointed time; yet if it tarry, wait thou for it; 
it will not be too late.” Surely delay is here inferred, 
so we are told to wait for the fulfillment of the vision. 
Indeed delay may extend to the last moment, even to the 


THE TIME OF CHBIST’S COMING 


195 


point which seems that the word has been broken; but 
the vision will come to pass; the word will not be broken; 
if it tarry wait for it; it will surely come. 

A minister once received a call to a church. He 
prayed over the matter and was led to believe it to be 
the will of God to accept it. Yet the house in which he 
was then living was under lease for three years, and but 
one year had expired. He could not afford to pay rent 
in two places. But through prayer God gave him the 
assurance that his house would be rented and that some 
one would release him of the obligation. This conviction 
he communicated to his family. Weeks, yea three months 
passed by and still the house was not rented. The min¬ 
ister's little girl came to him and said, “Papa, didn't 
you say God was going to see that our house was rented ? 
Well, this is moving day and it is not rented yet." The 
minister replied, “Just have faith, my little daughter, 
the house is not yet vacant.'' He then went to his room 
and plead with God to give his daughter a striking illus¬ 
tration of what it is to trust in God even to the last 
minute, and to believe that the vision will come even 
though it seem to tarry. The furniture was all taken 
out of the house; the van stood outside ready to move 
away. Again the daughter said to her father, “Papa, 
how about renting the house?" The father replied, 
‘ i God will answer prayer in His own good time; we have 
not yet moved away." Just as the van was beginning to 
move and the father had the key in the door to lock up 
the empty house, a messenger boy came with a telegram. 
It was from a Bible lecturer in a distant city who had 
heard that the minister was leaving Chicago, requesting 
him to rent the house immediately for him. The daugh¬ 
ter learned a lesson in trust, and, also, that though the 


196 


THE COMING KING 


vision tarry at times, yet it will surely come, and we 
must with faith wait for it. There will come a time 
when “Delay will be no longer” and “the mystery of 
God will be finished” (Rev. 10:7), but until that time 
come we must with patience “wait” for the fulfillment 
of the vision (Heb. 10:36). 

“At Hand”? 

So is it with the expression, “The time is at hand.” It 
signifies not necessarily that it is immediately to come to 
pass, but that it is the next thing of importance to come 
to pass. Dr. Kyle, the noted archaeologist, tells us of an 
instance that occurred in his experience in Palestine 
which illustrates the phrase ‘ ‘ at hand . 9 ’ Before retiring, 
he made arrangement with his host, a native of Palestine, 
to have an early breakfast in order that he might take 
an early boat at Tiberias in order to catch a train for 
Damascus which left from the northern end of the sea 
of Galilee. The host promised that an early breakfast 
would be provided and that his guest might retire and 
feel perfectly at ease about the matter. Dr. Kyle 
awakened at the appointed time, dressed and waited for 
the call to early breakfast. But the call did not come. 
On making inquiry the host said to the Doctor, “Yes, 
certainly, breakfast is at hand; right away you have 
breakfast.” From what Dr. Kyle gathered from investi¬ 
gation as about two hours passed before his breakfast 
came, he learned that what the host meant was not that 
the breakfast was ready then and there when he said it 
was 4 ‘ at hand , 9 9 but that it was the important thing that 
was occupying his attention at that time, and that it was 
“the next item of any importance on the program for 
the day.” We think it is fair to say that something 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


197 


like that is meant when the expression “at hand” is 
used in connection with the Lord’s Coming, e. g., “for 
the time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3). 

And so with the word “shortly”—“the things which 
must shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1). The word 
“shortly” means “speedily,” and intimates that when 
these things begin to come to pass, so quickly will they 
transpire that the generation then living and seeing the 
beginning of these things will see their fulfillment. 

Perhaps this is the (or one) meaning of the phrase: 
“This generation shall not pass away until all these 
things be fulfilled.” Of course there is undoubtedly 
a reference to the miraculous preservation of the Jewish 
nation or race, but is there not this truth also, and per¬ 
haps more so when you consider the “forward look” in 
the Olivet discourse, that Jesus referred not to the gene¬ 
ration He was then speaking to, but the generation He 
was speaking about, that generation that would be living 
when these things began to be fulfilled, so quickly would 
events transpire once they began that the generation 
that saw the “fig tree” budding would also see it in full 
fruitage ? 


That “Forward Look ,f 

We are being reminded in these days that we need to 
take a ‘ 1 backward look ’ ’ and consider the early Christian 
Church and its experiences. Shall we not rather say that 
what we need to-day is the “forward look”—that anxious 
watching for “the next great and important event” in 
the program of God? And shall we say, further, that in 
addition to the “forward look,” we need the “downward 
look,” such as John had when in Revelation 4 he was 
caught up and saw a door opened in heaven, through 


198 


THE COMING KING 


which he entered and saw what was going to transpire, 
indeed was actually transpiring as the apostle saw it in 
vision form, upon the earth, as the carrying out of the 
purposes of God? And it is not too much to say that 
this “forward’’ and “downward” look should be the 
characteristic note in our preaching to-day. For after 
all the preaching of the Gospel is not as some one has said 
“the interpreting of the results of an autopsy over a 
dead Christ, or proclaiming a coroner’s verdict as to the 
cause of His death, ’ ’ but the proclamation of a living, 
exalted and glorified Lord, Who once was crucified, dead 
and buried but now lives triumphantly over sin and 
death and Who is one day coming again in the glory of 
the Father and with the holy angels to rule and judge 
the world. Our duty is to “ Tell it out among the nations 
that the Lord is King.” That was the keynote of the 
apostolic preaching. Study the sermons in the Acts and 
see for yourself (cf. Acts 2:36; 3:19-23, e. g.). “Till 
he send Jesus”—this was the clarion note of the fervid, 
earnest, importunate preaching of the apostles. God’s 
message to the world, according to Paul in Acts 17:31 
is that “God hath appointed a day in which he will 
judge the world by that man whom he hath ordained 
and hath given proof to all men in that he hath raised 
him from the dead.” This is the believer’s outlook, the 
Church’s attitude, and the world’s warning. 

The Second Coming of Christ is the crowning objec¬ 
tive of all revelation, for God “hath put all things in 
subjection under his (Christ’s) feet, and hath given 
him to be head over all things; and all things are to be 
summed up in Christ and his victorious reign” (see 1 
Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1: 21-23; 3:11; 1:11-13). 

It was the late Dr. Brown, an ardent postmillennialist, 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


199 


who, urging preachers to pay more attention to the 
preaching of the Second Coming of Christ, said: 4 'It 
may reveal to us our latent unbelief and may rouse in us 
a new consciousness of the divine meaning of the events 
through which we are now passing.” 


‘ ‘ It may be in the evening, 

When the work of the day is done, 

And you’ve time to sit in the twilight, 
And watch the setting sun, 

While the long, bright day dies slowly 
O’er the sea, 

And the hour grows quiet and holy 
With thoughts of Me; 

Let the door be on the latch 
In your home, 

For it may be through the gloaming 
I will come. 

* i It may be when the midnight 
Is heavy upon the land, 

And the black waves lying humbly 
Along the sand; 

When the moonless night draws close, 
And the lights are out in the house; 
When the fires burn low and red, 

And the watch is ticking loudly 
Beside the bed; 

Though you sleep, tired out on your couch 
Still your heart must wake and watch 
In the dark room, 

For it may be that at midnight 
I will come. 

“It may be at the cockcrow, 

When the night is dying slowly 
In the sky; 

And the sea looks calm and holy, 


200 


THE COMING KING 


Waiting for the dawn of the golden sun 
Which draweth nigh; 

In the chill before the dawning 
I may come. 

‘‘It may be in the morning 
When the sun is bright and strong, 

And the dew is glittering sharply 
Over the little lawn; 

With the long day’s work before you, 

You rise up with the sun, 

And the neighbours come to talk a little 
Of all that must be done; 

But remember that I may be the next 
To come in at the door, 

To call you from your busy work 
For evermore. 

c i As you work your heart must watch, 

For the door is on the latch 
In your room, 

And it may be in the morning 
I will come.” 

( b ) The Post millennial Position. 

Objections to the doctrine of the “Millennium” (in 
general), and to “Premillennialism” (in particular) are 
(1) That it is a purely “Jewish” Doctrine. 

It is maintained by those who oppose the doctrine of 
Millennialism, that the whole idea is purely “Jewish,” 
and was adopted by the Jews while in captivity among 
the Babylonians and Persians, principally the Persians; 
that this “Jewish” idea was carried over into the Chris¬ 
tian Church by so called “Chiliasts,” that part of the 

Church having a leaning toward Judaism and Judaistic 
tendencies. 

In general this is about the way they explain the mat- 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


201 


ter: The Jewish nation always held the idea of their 
supremacy over the other nations of the earth, and that, 
some day, the “will of God”—which in the mind of the 
Jew was equivalent to the reign of Israel—would one 
day cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. To the 
Hebrew mind the “Kingdom of God,” and “God’s will” 
were equivalent to the world-wide supremacy of Jewish 
Law, so the idea of the “Kingdom of God” was one that 
was characterized by supreme nationalism: “God was 
to be interpreted in terms of Jewish nationalism,” that 
the idea of Jewish nationalistic supremacy was neverthe¬ 
less kept alive during those days of foreign oppression, 
belief in the Jewish “Golden Age,” was never lost sight 
of, entirely, the faithful remnant always believing that 
the departed glory of Israel would be restored, and that, 
perhaps, after six thousand years of history. 

It is the view of the opponents of the doctrine of the 
Lord’s Return that the Jews believed that the world 
was created in six days, and that the Lord’s creative rest 
came on the seventh day. Inasmuch as “a thousand 
years is with the Lord as one day, and one day as a thou¬ 
sand years” (2 Pet. 3:8; Psa. 90:4), there would, there¬ 
fore, be a “Sabbath-keeping,” a glorious “Sabbath of 
God,” a “Thousand year” period of cessation from sin 
and unrest, a * ‘ Millennium, ” a “ Golden Age, ’ ’ in which 
the will of God, and the “Kingdom of God” should be 
supreme. During this period the Messiah of the Jews 
would be King and reign over the whole earth, the tem¬ 
ple at Jerusalem would be restored and become the 
central place of worship for all mankind. As one writer 
puts it: “The Millennium is to be marked by the su¬ 
premacy of the Jews. Their temple is to become the 
centre of the worship of the whole race. The throne of 


202 


THE COMING KING 


David is to be restored and their Messiah is to sit upon 
it in regal splendour. This is still the hope of the Jews. 
They still look for Immanuel to come and sit upon a 
material throne which will be set up in Jerusalem, and 
from this throne Messiah will rule over all the earth.’’ 

The Matter of “Persian” Influence 
To continue: The idea of “A Golden Age,” a ^King¬ 
dom of God,” a “Millennium” the Jews kept alive all 
through their captivity, they found among Persian folk¬ 
lore, legends and beliefs concerning the evil of the world 
and the ending of all history in a final catastrophe, a 
certain amount of material upon which they could de¬ 
velop their doctrine. Indeed the Persian doctrine af¬ 
forded them great comfort amid their disappointed 
hopes. Some changes would have to be made to fit in and 
adapt Persian myths and beliefs with the faith of 
Judaism, but that could be done. They found that the 
Persians, too, believed in an “Age to Come,” the leader 
of that “Age” being a striking personality called 
“ Shaoshyant. ” It was an easy matter therefore to sub¬ 
stitute the Jewish idea of a “ Golden Age 5 5 for the 
Persian “Age to Come,” and the “Messiah” for 
“Shaoshyant.” Downcast Israel had come across Per¬ 
sian legend that seemed to aid them in the develop¬ 
ment of a belief that still gave them hope for Jewish 
National supremacy. So they merged the Persian idea 
of the “Age to Come” with the Jewish “Golden Age” 
and called it Kingdom of God” over which they set 
their Messiah, Jesus, the Christ. Indeed, it is claimed 
that the confusion said to exist to-day with regard to 
clearly defining the “Kingdom of Heaven” is attributed 
to the attempt to merge two irreconcilable ideas—the 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


203 


“speculative” (Persian), and the “spiritual” (Jewish). 
Inasmuch, therefore, as the Jewish idea was a “spiri¬ 
tual” one and the Persian legend purely “speculative,” 
there arose what is true in Millennialism, namely, the 
spiritual rule of God over the entire earth, and also 
what is (called) false wit, namely, the speculative aspect 
of the doctrine which enters into literality and details, 
such as the general apostasy, the catastrophic and sen¬ 
sational ending of all things with the advent from the 
skies of the Messiah. 

Paul’s Pagan Ideas (?) 

The opponents of this doctrine further maintain not 
only that the entire Biblical and Jewish teaching regard¬ 
ing the Millennium received its colouring from Persian 
legendary and mythological ideas, but that such ideas 
coloured Paul’s writings, and composed “the atmos¬ 
phere in which he lived,” that “he knew no better,” and 
that he was “the child of this environment.” We are 
told that Paul used the name “Christ” only when deal¬ 
ing with these “speculative” views concerning world af¬ 
fairs, and that “Christ” is, in Paul’s writings, about 
equal to “Shaoshyant” in Persian legend. Indeed they 
go so far as to say that “Paul was a little mixed up 
here” when he spoke of “Christ-in-me”—which was the 
Jesus of personal experience—and the “Christ” in con¬ 
nection with matters eschatological; that he here “con¬ 
fuses Christ with the Spirit,” and that he should have 
said “The Spirit-in-me” not “ Christ-in-me.” So 
“Paul’s two ideas of Christ stand unharmonized until 
John (a. d. 125) 1 straightened them out by showing that 

1 Putting John at this late date is indicative of ignorance. His 
most recent criticism leans toward the lifetime of the apostle. 


204 


THE COMING KING 


Christ began His reign at the Cross.” So the Second 
Coming is, by John, 4 ‘taken out of the realm of the 
apocalyptic and put into that of Christian experience, 
that of the spiritual and religious.” It follows, there¬ 
fore, that the Coming of Jesus Christ is a spiritual and 
not a personal, bodily Coming. Whenever, therefore, 
Paul uses the term “Christ” in connection with future 
things he is writing under the influence of his pagan 
thinking. It is only the 44 Christ-in-me ” idea that is es¬ 
sentially spiritual and Christian. 

Now, it is claimed, that with this background, that 
element in the early Christian Church which manifested 
a leaning toward Judaism adopted these Jewish-Persian 
theories. They saw that Jesus had not come, as they 
seemed to think He had so promised to do, and as the 
apostles had (apparently) so taught; the reign of 
righteousness with King Jesus at the head had not ma¬ 
terialized. The world seemed to be getting worse. What 
should be done ? Why not fall back upon 4 4 The Kingdom 
of God” ideas that the Jews believed and taught as the 
expression of their faith in the Old Testament prophets ? 
Was it not according to the revelation of God that the 
world was destined to grow worse and that nothing but 
a world catastrophe could bring about a new order of 
things and usher in the “Kingdom of God ”? 

Thus, it is claimed, arose the doctrine of what is known 
as “Millennialism,” “The Second Coming of the Lord 
Jesus,” and, specifically, 44 Premillennialism.” Of course 
it is admitted that the Jewish and Christian conceptions 
of the Millennium differ in some respects; for example, 
while the Jews hold that their Messiah has not yet come, 
and that when He does come He will be recognized and 
received by His chosen people; that tie will, there and 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


205 


then, set up His reign upon the earth, sitting upon the 
throne of David; whereas Christians have all along 
maintained that the Messiah has already come, that the 
Jews rejected Him with the result that the Messianic 
reign was postponed until the Messiah shall again come 
in power and glory to reign. Postfmillennialists, how¬ 
ever, maintain that Christ is now on the throne and that 
He now is reigning in the world, only in a spiritual 
sense, through the spiritual agencies and forces of the 
Church, and not in any material sense such as pre - 
millennialists believe. 

The Answer to Charge of “Jewish” Influence 

What shall be our answer to these statements? Are 
they true or false? 

In the first place, the burden of proof rests upon the 
one making such a charge. So far there is no convincing 
proof that the Jews borrowed their apocalyptic idea re¬ 
garding the “Kingdom of God” and the “Golden Age” 
from either the Persians or Babylonians. The prophecy 
of Isaiah is replete with teaching which describes such 
a period as “The Golden Age.” So with regard to 
prophets contemporary with Isaiah. But Isaiah wrote a 
century or more before the Jews came under the sway 
of the Persian Empire. 

Why should men be so anxious to seek to attribute the 
doctrines of the Bible to other sources rather than to 
revelation from God? Why may it not be that the 
Persians borrowed their ideas of doctrine (particularly 
that pertaining to the eschatological and apocryphal) 
from the Jews to whom had been ‘ 4 committed the oracles 
of God” (Rom. 3:2)? Those “wise men from the East” 
(Matt. 2) who had seen Christ’s star and “had come to 


206 


THE COMING KING 


worship him” had doubtless derived their knowledge of 
such an astronomical event from the reference to it in 
Numbers 22. 

But, further, and in the second place, supposing the 
whole idea of the ‘ ‘ Millennium ” is Jewish in its origin, 
should that make it untrue or unworthy of acceptance 
by Christians? Are “Jewish” sources false because they 
emanate from that race? If so, then many of the truths 
the Christian counts most precious must be discarded 
as unworthy of belief and acceptance, for almost every¬ 
thing in our Christian religion has, in some way or other, 
remote or near, sprung from the Jew and his religion. 
Let us cite some instances: 

Take the Bible: Is it not Jewish? Did it not spring 
from sources that were Jewish—referring, of course, to 
the part played by human authorship in the Scriptures ? 
So far as we know, were not all the authors, with an 
exception or two, Jewish? Was not the sacred volume 
produced on Jewish soil? Is not the Old Testament 
exclusively Jewish? Were we to eliminate from the 
New Testament every quotation from, allusion and refer¬ 
ence to the Old Testament, would not what is left be a 
small portion comparatively? The “Fulfillments” in 
the New Testament illustrate well indeed the dependence 
of the New upon the Old. Shall we discard our Bible, 
therefore, because it is from “Jewish” sources? 

Consider our Christian Religion: Did it not have its 
origin in that which is Jewish? Did not Jesus Himself 
say, “Salvation is of (that means, out of, origined with) 
the Jews” (John 4:22)? Was not Jesus Himself a 
Jew? . . . “Israelites . . . whose is the adop¬ 
tion, and the glory and the covenants, and the giving of 
the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


207 


whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concern¬ 
ing the flesh” (Rom. 9:1-5). From what other source 
would you expect the things pertaining to our salvation 
and future hope to come from, saving that which is 
Jewish? Was it not to them that the “oracles of God 
were committed” (Rom. 3:2)? Would you expect the 
glorious hopes of our Christian religion to spring from 
pagan sources—from the Romans, the Greeks, the Bar¬ 
barians? Would we not rightly suspicion a religious 
hope that sprung from such channels? 

Consider the Christian Church: Whom did Christ 
choose as the men to found it (Matt. 16:16-18) ? Were 
they not Jews? Was not the first Christian Church com¬ 
posed almost entirely, perhaps one might say almost ex¬ 
clusively of Jews (Acts 1 and 2) ? Was not the Church 
“ built upon the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets” (Eph. 2: 20) ? 

Consider the atoning death of Jesus Christ: Can you 
separate it from elements that are Jewish? Was not 
‘ * the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, ’ ’ the 
“Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root and offspring of 
David” (Rev. 4:5; cf. John 1:29)? Did not Jesus 
Himself liken His death to a Jewish event (“For as 
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,” John 
3:14, 15) ? Does not Paul say that “Christ our Passover 
is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7)? Is not the idea of 
the “passover” strictly Jewish? Could one at all un¬ 
derstand the sacrificial death of Christ aside from the 
Jewish ritual and sacrificial economy? Shall we then 
cast aside the doctrine of the death of Christ because it 
has a “Jewish colouring”? True Christians would die 
first, before they would be guilty of such sacrilege. 

Consider “The Lord’s Supper”: Are we not taken 


208 


THE COMING KING 


back, every time we commemorate this blessed sacrament, 
to the Jewish paschal meal? Is it not connected with the 
idea of the Jewish passover? Shall we then cast aside 
the Lord’s Supper because it is related in a most inti¬ 
mate way with that which is “Jewish”? We shall hesj- 
tate a long time before we do any such thing. 

Consider the descriptions of heaven and the final abode 
of the righteous: The most wonderful descriptions of our 
future eternal home are described in Revelation, chapters 
21 and 22. But a careful reading reveals the fact that 
those descriptions have a most outstanding “Jewish” 
colouring. The foundations are of “the twelve apostles 
of the Lamb.” It is the “New Jerusalem,” the “Holy 
City.” Its sacred number is “twelve,” the number of 
the tribes of the Children of Israel. The song is of 
“Moses and the Lamb.” Shall we cast aside all our 
visions of the glories of heaven because they are in some 
way connected with that which is Jewish? Never. 

Consider God’s future plans for the redeemed: God’s 
plans and purposes, particularly those which have to do 
with the future, are most intimately connected with the 
Jew and that which is Jewish. A close study of the 
Bible most clearly reveals this incontrovertible fact. In¬ 
deed the student will soon be brought to see that the full¬ 
ness of blessing cannot be brought on the Gentile world 
until God’s purposes with regard to the Jewish nation 
are fulfilled. The eleventh of Romans is impossible of 
understanding in any other light, as are many other 
Scriptures. In His prophetic discourses, delivered on 
Olivet, and recorded in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13 and 
Luke 21, Jesus associates many of the events connected 
with His return with a strictly Jewish setting. The 
Church of Christ cannot come to its full fruition inde- 


209 


THE TIME OF CHKIST’S COMING 

pendent of certain “Jewish” happenings. There can be 
no intelligent study of eschatology which would discard 
that which is “Jewish.” The future purposes of God 
for His redeemed people are so closely associated and 
identified with the fortunes of Israel that it is impossible 
to consider the Jewish and Christian element altogether 
apart and absolutely independent of each other. The 
very idea is absurd. But not any more so than that 
which would call upon us to give up an interpretation 
of the Second Coming of Christ simply because it has 
some connection with that which is “Jewish.” 

The Jew—the Standing Miracle of Prophecy 

The very preservation of the Jewish race is a proof 
that much that is “Jewish” will relate itself to events 
which will close our age: “This generation (Jewish race, 
so meant in this connection) shall not pass away until 
all these things be fulfilled.” The national identity of 
the Jew has been preserved as has that of no other na¬ 
tion, and that in spite of all that the nations of the world 
have done to annihilate the Jew. Every indication at 
the present is that the “nationalization” of the Jew is 
to be a real fact in spite of all the protest against it. 
Shall we not say that it is now virtually an accomplished 
fact ? Have not the United States, Great Britain, Japan 
and France and Italy guaranteed it? It is puerile, in 
view of these facts, to speak of premillennialism as “an 
attempt at the renationalization of the Jews.” That 
will be accomplished irrespective of any theory of the 
Second Coming. When it is said of Christ’s death, that 
it “broke down the middle wall of partition between the 
Jew and Gentile,’’ it has reference to spiritual matters, 
those things which pertain to a man’s relation to God 


210 


THE COMING KING 


so far as spiritual privileges are concerned; it has noth¬ 
ing to do with the disbanding forever of the “ national¬ 
ization ” of the Jew. Let us rightly interpret Scripture. 

Even should there be again the restoration of the 
sacrificial economy of the Mosaic system of the Old Testa¬ 
ment at the temple restored in Jerusalem—as some ex¬ 
positors say is the teaching of Ezekiel, although others 
do not insist on it—they may be offered as “a memorial’’ 
—looking back to the finished work of Christ, just as in 
the Old Testament days they looked forward to the work 
of Christ in anticipation, faith and hope. Nor is it neces¬ 
sary that there should be a cessation of the preaching of 
the Gospel contemporaneously with the offering of the 
sacrifices and the temple worship. Did not the Jewish 
ritual in the temple and the worship of the early Chris¬ 
tian continue together for many years after Christ’s 
death and resurrection? Did not many of the Jews for 
many years after their acceptance of Jesus Christ still 
maintain a certain loyalty to the temple as a place of 
worship ? So Acts, chapters 15 and 21 assert. 

But, further, we should not forget that all revealed 
truth concerning the Coming of the Lord is not from 
purely Jewish sources. Paul is the author, humanly 
speaking, of a great deal of it, and he claims to have 
received much of his revelation from God directly. Did 
not the Jews accuse Paul of being an apostate because 
what he taught seemed to be contrary to Jewish belief? 
Was he not stoutly opposed by the Jews in many places 
because he was accused of teaching things contrary to the 
belief of the Jews? 

If, because a thing is Jewish in its origin, it is to be 
looked on with suspicion and discarded then much of 
what Jesus and the Apostles taught would have to be cast 


211 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 

aside, and that would involve a great part of the New 
Testament and exceeding much of what we know as 
Christianity. Hut Jesus rejected what was Jewish when 
it was false, as the Sermon on the Mount well illustrates. 
We should not overlook the fact that our blessed Lord 
has been charged with the same thing in connection with 
His teaching—that He simply quoted from Jewish tra¬ 
dition and voiced the popular opinion of His times, that 
He “was a man of his hour,” and simply voiced the 
current opinions extant among the Jews at that time. 
So you see the same charge has been laid against our 
Lord as is now laid against those who hold the pre- 
millennial doctrine. Were we to reject the Millennium 
because it savours of Judaism, then, on the same basis, 
so it seems to us, one would have to reject the incarnation, 
much of the life of Jesus, His death, ascension, Pentecost, 
for all are coloured by some Jewish cast of thought. 
This does not seem to be a fair way to interpret the 
Scriptures. 

(2) That the Millennium., the Reign of a Thousand 
Years, is mentioned but once in the Bible, and that in a 
highly symbolic and figurative book— <( The Revelation 

The passage to which reference is here made is that 
found in Revelation 20:1-2, and reads as follows: 

“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, hav¬ 
ing the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 
And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which 
is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand 
years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and 
sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations 
no more, until the thousand years should be finished: 
after this he must be loosed for a little while. 

“And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, 


212 


THE COMING KING 


and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls 
of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of 
Jesus, and for the Word of God, and such as worshipped 
not the beast, neither his image, and received not the 
mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and 
they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 
The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand 
years should be finished. This is the first resurrection. 
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrec¬ 
tion: over these the second death hath no power; but 
they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall 
reign with him a thousand years. 

“And when the thousand years are finished, Satan 
shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall come forth to 
deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the 
earth.” 

The postmillennialists say of this verse, “This is the 
seat of the (Pre) doctrine.” “The whole theory rests 
upon this one passage.” “There is only one passage in 
the New Testament which definitely sets forth the hope 
of a return of Christ in bodily form to reign a thousand 
years upon the earth, this period to be followed by a 
Satanic outburst. The idea of a Millennium has no 
place in any writer save the author of the Revelation.” 1 

It is admitted, then, that there is actually one passage 
in the Bible that unmistakably points to the bodily re¬ 
turn of our Lord to the earth to reign a thousand years, 
in other words that teaches a “Millennium.” Postmillen¬ 
nialists themselves admit this. And is it not remarkable 
that in this connection the author above quoted states 

! The author of these words, A. J. Moore, has written a series 
of pamphlets against premillennialism for the Methodist Church 
of Canada. This author goes on to say, “ We do not dodee the 
issue by spiritualizing the story.” 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


213 


that the issue is not to be dodged by “spiritualizing’’ this 
passage. We are to assume then, from his words, that 
the passage is to be taken literally, at least the writer and 
reader of the Revelation intended it to be so taken and 
did so interpret it. 

Six Mentions of “The Millennium 99 

It should not be overlooked in this connection that 
while there may be but one passage in which there is 
“specific mention” of the Millennium by name, yet there 
are six mentions of it in this one passage: 

“And he laid hold on Satan and bound him for a 
thousand years.” 

1 * Cast him into the pit until the thousand years . . . 
finished . 9 9 

“They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand 
years 99 

“The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand 
years are finished.” 

“And they shall reign with him a thousand years.” 

“And when the thousand years are finished.” 

Here are six references to the Millennium in seven 
verses. If, as is generally admitted, the twofold 
“Verily, verily” indicates “truth and solemnity,” what 
shall we say of a “sixfold mention”? No wonder John 
is told to “Write . . . for these words are faithful 

and true.” If the words, “Once have I heard, twice 
hath it been said, that power belongeth unto God,” carry 
unwavering conviction as to the source of power, what 
shall we say as to the solemn certainty of this sixfold 
repetition of the fact that Christ shall reign a thousand 
years upon the earth with His saints ? Surely we cannot 
lightly cast it aside by an attempt to do away with its 


214 


THE COMING KING 


reality by a process of “spiritualizing.” Even Mr. 
Moore, an ardent postmillennialist, decries such usage 
of this passage. 

If the argument for the truth of Scriptural statements 
were dependent for its veracity and acceptance upon the 
number of times it is mentioned, then, we fear, quite a 
number of very vital truths would be open to doubtful 
challenge. For example: 

The Holy Spirit is, so far as we recall, only once, 
specifically, called “God,” in the New Testament (Acts 
5:4). It is true that there are other passages, and vari¬ 
ous methods of interpretation from which we may rightly 
infer that Deity is to be attributed to the third Person 
of the Trinity, just as there are other passages in the 
Bible in which the doctrine of the 4 ‘ Millennium ’ ’ may be 
rightly inferred although it is not “specifically” called 
such; yet, speaking from the standpoint of “specific men¬ 
tion” the Holy Spirit is called “God” in but this one 
passage. Shall we, therefore, refuse to ascribe to the 
Holy Spirit those attributes of Deity which call upon us 
to worship Him as God simply because His Godhead is 
mentioned, specifically, not six times as in the case of the 
Millennium, but once? The Christian Church would 
stoutly protest, and rightly so, against any such interpre¬ 
tation of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit’s Person. But 
why deny the doctrine of the “Millennium” because of 
its “brief mention”? 

The High Priesthood of Jesus Christ is one of the most 
important doctrines connected with the Person and re¬ 
demptive work of Christ. And there can be no true 
appreciation of that doctrine unless the “eternal” aspect 
of that High Priesthood is understood, for Christ is not a 
Priest “after Aaron” only, He is also “a priest for ever 


THE TIME OP CHRIST’S COMING 


215 


after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 5: 6-10; 7: 4-28). 
Now because Melchizedek is mentioned, historically, but 
once (Gen. 14—the reference in the Psalm 110: 4 being a 
repetition of the Genesis mention, practically) antece¬ 
dent to Christ’s coming, and because he is very difficult 
indeed to understand—indeed it is a question if any one 
really fully understands him (Heb. 5:6-10), shall we 
therefore refuse to believe in the “eternal priesthood” of 
Christ ? Certainly not. Any line of argument proposed 
with that end in view would be considered absurd. What 
shall we say then about the argument against the “ Mil¬ 
lennium” because it is mentioned but “once” and is sur¬ 
rounded with mystery ? Shall we then cast aside the doc¬ 
trine of the “thousand years” reign? 

But once in the Scriptures do we find the words, 
“Hear ye him,” as referring to Christ and the obligation 
resting upon us to obedience to His word. Shall we then 
refuse to render the Son of God our just and proper obe¬ 
dience? No; the soul that will not hear Him “shall be 
cut off” (cf. Acts 3: 22, 23). 

But once “in the end of the age did he (Christ) ap¬ 
pear to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 
9:26). Shall we therefore look with indifference upon 
that event because it happened but once f 

The Lord’s Supper is one of the most important sacra¬ 
ments of the Christian Church; indeed, we could not 
think of a Christian Church without provision being 
made for its celebration. Yet there are but two specific 
mentions of it in the New Testament. 1 Shall we refuse 

1 Counting the synoptic references as practically one, which 
indeed they are; and then the reference to it in i Corinthians n. 
The allusions in the Act's to “the breaking of bread” may be 
questioned as to referring to the Lord’s Supper seeing there is 
no mention of wine in connection with it. The reference in John 



216 


THE COMING KING 


then to “remember” our Lord Jesus, and His work on 
the Cross for us, simply because we have but two specific 
mentions of it in the New Testament ? Certainly not. 

The day of worship for the Christian is “The Lord’s 
Day,” the first day of the week. But why should it be 
so? Surely the first day is not the original Sabbath; 
that was the “seventh day of the week.” Where in the 
entire New Testament is there even one specific verse that 
“commands” such a change, and makes such a demand 
upon us ? So far as we now recall there is not one single 
passage in which this change is “commanded.” 1 

What kind of faith is this that calls for numerous 
repetitions before it will believe? Surely not the faith 
of the New Testament. In the epistle to the Hebrews we 
find such expressions as, “Again, he saith,” and “Again 
he defineth, ’ ’ and each time such expression is used there 
seems to be carried with it a rebuke. What God has said 
once should be sufficient for His child. A minister was 
making a call on one of his parishioners who was dying. 
After talking with her a while, he opened his Bible to 
read to her one of the precious promises of the Master. 
He read from John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth 
me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in 


6 to “ eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of Man ” 
refers, we think, to participation in Christ’s redemptive work on 
the Cross. 

1 Mark you, we believe that the change from the seventh to the 
first day of the week for the day of worship is justified and can be 
proven and by unquestionable evidence, but we are referring now 
to exact specific Scriptural commands. The postmillennialist is 
unwilling to accept the doctrine of a “ Millennium ” because it is 
mentioned in but one passage in the New Testament, although it 
is mentioned six times in that one reference, and yet will fight 
strenuously for the observance of the first day of the week for 
the day of worship when there is not one specific “ command ” to 
keep the “ first day.” 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


217 

no wise cast out. ’ ’ The minister, in an effort to encour¬ 
age the dying saint, told her that in the Greek there was 
a double negative in this verse, and that it read, “I will 
not, no I will not cast him out, not by any means. ” 
“ Isn’t that most comforting,” said the minister, “and 
lest we should be downhearted and fearful, God repeats 
the invitation. Now,” said the minister to the dying 
saint, ‘ ‘ do you believe on the ground of this repeated as¬ 
surance of Christ that He receives you?” “Ah, man,” 
said the old Scotch saint, “is that all the knowledge that 
ye have of Him ? Had He said it but once I would have 
believed Him.” The minister felt the rebuke. Why 
then should we be constantly asking for reiterations and 
repetitions? Hath He said it oncef Then that shall be 
enough for the trusting soul. And when in the one place 
He hath six times repeated Himself, what more can a 
mortal man ask ? 

Take the matter of Baptism. Unquestionably this is 
one of the most important ordinances in the Christian 
Church. There would be a fierce conflict waging, par¬ 
ticularly in certain quarters, should any attempt be made 
to minimize the rite of Baptism. And rightly so. Yet, 
is it not strange that so important an ordinance as Bap¬ 
tism was referred to by our Lord but once , and but once 
in that one passage (Matt. 28:19) V Shall we use the 

2 The reference in Mark 16: 16 is a repetition of the same 
parting commission as recorded in Matthew 28, and, indeed, as 
before noted, is found in the last few verses of Mark which are 
disputed. That is not to say that we do not admit that these 
verses have a right to their place in Mark, for we certainly do, but 
in the science of Biblical Hermeneutics doctrines are not to be 
built upon “disputed” passages. Jesus uses the word “baptize,” 
and “baptism” when referring t’o the work of John and to the 
work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, but in only one 


218 


THE COMING KING 


same argument with regard to Christian Baptism that the 
postmillennialist offers with regard to the “Millennium' ’ 
—that because it is mentioned in but one passage of 
Scripture it is therefore not to be received? Certainly 
not. Consistency, thou art a jewel! 

Or again, consider the doctrine of The Church. How 
little Jesus said about the Church, that is specifically, 
and by name. In but two verses does He mention it by 
name (Matt. 16:18 and 18:17). There lies open before 
me at this moment a small book in which the teachings 
of Jesus on various subjects are classified and every ref¬ 
erence given to the mention of each subject. I find “the 
kingdom of heaven,” and “the kingdom of God” have 
one hundred and forty-six Scriptural quotations while 
“The Church” is mentioned, specifically, in but two 
Scriptural quotations, and in one of the two it is men¬ 
tioned in connection with the “kingdom of heaven.” 
According to the theory of the postmillennialist Jesus 
thought more of the “kingdom of heaven” than He did 
of the Church. 

(3) As an argument against the “Millennium ” it is 
claimed that Jesus said absolutely nothing about it, and 
that, had it been as important as premillennialists say it 
is, He would not thus have passed it by in silence. 

“If the doctrine of the 'Millennium’ is so important,” 
say the opponents of the doctrine, “why did not Jesus 
say something about it ? In point of fact, He does not 
even remotely refer to it.” We are not so sure that 


reference does He mention what we know of as “Christian Bap¬ 
tism unless, as some would have us believe that the words, 
water and Spirit ” (John 3 : 5 ; cf. Titus 3:5) refer to watei 1 
baptism and not to the Word of God as the instrument which the 

5 P 26 * John j".^ generatlon (James 1 : 18 ; 1 Peter 1 : 23 ; Eph. 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


219 


Jesus was absolutely silent on the matter. Perhaps it is 
true that He did not mention the “Millennium” specifi¬ 
cally by name, but we think that certain phrases used by 
Him did refer to the period of time known as the “thou¬ 
sand years.” 

One wonders if Jesus did not have the “Millennium” 
period in mind when He referred to the days of “the 
regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne 
of his glory, and ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones 
judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28, cf. 
25:31; Luke 22:30; Rev. 3:21; 4:4; 11:16; 20:4). 
May He not have referred to His “thousand years’ 
reign” when He spoke of “one of the days of the Son of 
Man ’ ’ ? May not such expressions be descriptive of the 
“Golden Age,” those days when the Son of Man shall 
reign in glory upon the earth? 

Further, we should remember that we do not have a 
complete record of all that Jesus said and taught. Paul, 
for instance, refers to an unreported saying of Christ’s, 
at least it is unreported so far as our four Gospel records 
are concerned, when he said, “For ye remember the 
words of our Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed 
to give than to receive.” So John, in his First Epistle 
(1:5), says, “And this is the message which we heard 
from him (Christ), that God is light, and in him is no 
darkness at all.” Where, in the recorded sayings of 
Jesus, do we find these words? And with this agree the 
words of the Gospel of John (20:30; 21:25), “And 
there are many other signs truly . . . which are not 

written in this book ... the which, if they should 
be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself 
could not contain the books that should be written.” 

Nor should we overlook the fact that the teaching min- 


220 


THE COMING KING 


istry of Jesus was limited while He was here on the earth 
because of the incapacity of the disciples to receive it in 
its fullness. He said to them, “I have many things to 
say unto you but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit 
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you 
into all the truth . . . and he will show you the 
things that are to come” (John 16:12, 13). From this 
passage it is evident that Jesus expected the Holy Spirit 
to lead the disciples much deeper into future things than 
He had been able to do. The same Holy Spirit that led 
Him would lead them. We should be just as ready to 
believe what the Holy Spirit has caused to be recorded 
through the inspired writers as though those very wmrds 
fell from the lips of Jesus Himself. Further, Jesus said 
many things to the disciples that they evidently forgot. 
Take the matter of the resurrection, for example (John 
2: 22; 20: 8, 9). The Holy Spirit would “bring to their 
remembrance whatsoever things Jesus had said to them” 
(John 14: 26). 

The Apostle Paul introduces his teachings regarding 
the Coming of Christ with the words, “And this we say 
unto you by the word of the Lord ” (1 Thess. 4:15). 
What can this expression mean save that he is quoting 
from what our Lord actually said whether this came to 
Paul from the lips of the other apostles or was received 
“by revelation” (Gal. 1:18-2:2). Is not a distinction 
made between what Paul, under the inspiration of the 
Holy Spirit, was given utterance to say, and what Jesus 
is reported to Himself have said, when Paul says, “But 
to the married I give charge, yet not I, but the Lord, 
That the wife depart not from her husband ... and 
the husband leave not the wife” (1 Cor. 7:10, 11). Had 
not Jesus given expression to just these sentiments re- 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


221 


garding the marital estate (Mark 10:11, 12; Luke 
16:18) ? So Paul could quote a “Thus saith the Lord.” 

There are other important doctrines concerning which 
Jesus said not a word—that is, so far as the Gospel rec¬ 
ords declare. There is “The Lord’s Day” as the day of 
Christian worship. He said nothing about that; not 
even remotely does He refer to it. Shall we then refuse 
to believe in the Lord’s Day as the Christian day of wor¬ 
ship simply because Jesus said nothing about it? Jesus 
said not one word about the ministry as we understand 
that term to-day. Shall we then not believe in an or¬ 
dained ministry because of the silence of Jesus on the 
matter ? 

But is not the Book of Revelation the word of Christ? 
Was it not actually given by Him? Is it not an unveil¬ 
ing of future things by the Son of Man Himself? Is He 
not the Speaker throughout? Surely of this there can 
be no reasonable doubt, for the opening words of the book 
declare that it is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” that 
is it is the Revelation given by Him (1:1). Do not its 
closing words bear witness to the same truth, “I, Jesus, 
have sent mine angel, to testify unto you these things” 
(22:16) ? And, let us not forget it, this is the Book in 
which we have the sixfold mention of the ‘ 1 Millennium. ’ ’ 

(4) The postmillennialist charges that the premillen- 
nialist “dishonours the Gospel, the Ministry, and the 
Holy Spirit , and is harmful to all that is necessary to 
stimulate faith, and makes things look as if the Church 
were fighting a losing caused’ 

Of course, this charge is made on the supposition that 
it is the distinct teaching of the Scriptures that it is the 
business of the Church to convert the world. The pre- 
millennialist demands Scriptural proof for such an asser- 


222 


THE COMING KING 


tion, and maintains that the Bible nowhere declares it to 
be the function of the Church to save the world before 
Jesus comes. Indeed, he maintains that the Bible, on the 
contrary, predicts a gross departure from the faith and 
a cooling of love toward Christ on the part of many; 
that the Scriptures, properly interpreted according to 
etymology and context, show that the Church’s function 
during this dispensation is to witness to the world of the 
finished work of Christ, that when she has performed this 
task she will be caught up to meet the Lord, and that 
after that, if it is ever the divine purpose that the whole 
world should be converted, God has some other agency or 
body, perhaps the converted Jewish nation, to perform 
such a world task. 

The postmillennialist, however, maintains stoutly that 
the Scriptures do teach “world-conversion” by the 
Church, and cites the parting commission of Jesus to the 
disciples, “ Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the 
nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and 
of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to ob¬ 
serve all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and 
lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world 
(age) ” (Matt. 2:19, 20). It is said that one of the most 
ardent postmillennialists, in a book he has written on the 
subject, ventures to rest the whole argument for “world- 
conversion” during this age by the Church on this one 
Scripture reference. If this is so it seems to us that the 
doctrine rests upon a very frail foundation, for rightly 
interpreted, as we shall see, the reference does not teach 
“world-conversion.” . 

“World Conversion.” 

In seeking to understand the parting commission of 


223 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 

our Lord to the disciples, there are some things we should 
consider: 

First, we should not forget that Mark also records the 
commission. 1 He records it as follows: “Go ye into all 
the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation ; 
he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he 
that disbelieveth shall be condemned” (Mark 16:15, 16). 
From this passage we learn that although the Gospel is 
preached unto the whole creation, not every person will 
believe and receive it and be saved; that there will be 
some who will not believe and shall therefore be “con¬ 
demned. ’ ’ This does not sound like 41 world-conver¬ 
sion,’ 1 even according to the parting commission of our 
Lord. 

Second, a consideration of Matthew 28:19, 20 itself 
does not in our judgment teach that the world is to be 
saved. Let us recall that in this very gospel of Matthew 
(10:5, 6, 23, e. g.) Jesus forbade the disciples to preach 
the Gospel in any other save Jewish cities. “Into any of 
the cities of the Samaritans, enter ye not.” Indeed the 
ministry of Jesus Himself was confined to the Jews and 
Palestine. He was “a minister to the circumcision” 
(Rom. 15:8), and ministered “unto the lost sheep of 
the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). He said to the 
Syro-Phoenician woman, “It is not meat to take the chil¬ 
dren’s bread and to cast it unto dogs”—thereby indicat¬ 
ing that His ministry was unto Jews and not to Gentiles 


1 We are aware that from verse nine of the last chapter to the 
end is a disputed passage, that is, that two of the leading manu¬ 
scripts do not contain these verses, also that they vary in other 
manuscripts. Yet the evidence for their exclusion from the text 
is not sufficient to warrant the Revisers in omitting them from the 
text, although they put a footnote indicating the status of the 
matter. 


224 


THE COMING KING 


(15:25). There were rare exceptions to this exclusive 
ministry, bnt they were very few. 1 

This exclusivism lasted only until the resurrection of 
Christ. After that Gospel preaching was not to be 
bricked up by geographical boundaries nor limited by 
national restrictions; not Palestine, but the world would 
be its sphere of activity and propagation from hence¬ 
forth. When, therefore, Jesus said, “Go ye into all the 
world and disciple all the nations, 1 ’ He was laying em¬ 
phasis on the extent of the new field in which the work 
of evangelization and discipleship should take place, and 
did not intend to teach that every individual or nation 
in that field should be saved. Indeed, as we have already 
noted, Mark’s record distinctly states that many will not 
believe. From the time of His ascension the great Head 
of the Church would have Gentile as well as Jew, the 
heathen nations as well as the chosen people be the recipi¬ 
ents of the “good news” and the “good tidings” of sal¬ 
vation. That the disciples so understood Jesus is, we 
think, clearly brought out in the record of the Church’s 
activity in the Acts of the Apostles. Jesus’ parting 
words to the apostles there were, “And ye shall be my 
witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in 
Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth” 
(1:8). And with these words agree the closing words 
of Luke (24:47), “And he said unto them, Thus it is 
written that the Christ should suffer and rise again from 
the dead the third day; and that repentance and remis¬ 
sion of sins should be preached in his name unto all na¬ 
tions beginning from Jerusalem.” See also Colossians 

1 It is interesting to note that in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, 
written to Gentiles, both of them, no reference is made in the 
chapters recording the sending out of the disciples, of this Jewish 
exclusivism. 


THE TIME OF CHKIST’S COMING 


225 


1:23; Acts 2:5 to see how the parting commission was 
understood and carried out by the apostles and early 
Christians. 

Further, were it true that the expression “make dis¬ 
ciples of all the nations/’ were equivalent to actually 
making Christians of either all the nations or every indi¬ 
vidual among the nations, then the Jew would be ex¬ 
cluded, and would not be a subject for “ discipleship, ” 
for the word “nations” is used in the Scriptures so as to 
exclude the Jew, and is used when the Gentiles are con¬ 
tradistinguished from the Jews (see Mark 4:15; 10: 5; 
Luke 2:32). Have our postmillennial friends faced 
that fact ? It is serious enough to cause deeper thinking 
than we imagine has been given this passage. When, 
however, we recall that the term “all the nations” is 
descriptive of the field in which the “making of dis¬ 
ciples” is to take place—a field no longer limited, as in 
Matthew 10, to the Jew and the cities of Israel, but is to 
include all the nations, Gentiles as well as Jews, then the 
passage becomes clear. 

Third, after describing the extent of the field of the 
Church’s operation—“the whole world,” “the whole 
creation, ” “ every creature ’ ’—the Master then lays down 
the method and means by which this “discipling of the 
nations” is to take place: by the preaching of the “gos¬ 
pel,” “believing it,” and the witness of that faith and 
acceptance by “baptism.” This, having been done, the 
new life begotten by faith in Christ must be nourished by 
the “teaching” of the Word of God, and will result in 
an obedience to the will of God. 

It seems clear to us, therefore, that the parting com¬ 
mission of Christ does not teach “world-salvation,” but 
the “witness” of the facts of the “good tidings” before 


226 


THE COMING KING 


the whole world. Nor should it be overlooked in this 
connection that the disciples had been sent out on a mis¬ 
sion which, while limited in its sphere as compared with 
this world-wide commission, was, nevertheless, similar in 
design and purpose: they were sent out “to teach and to 
preach”—a purpose surely that had in mind the making 
of disciples for the cause of the Christ, else why “preach 
and teach” at all?—even though such purpose is not 
specifically stated in so many words as in the parting 
commission. Yet this mission did not result in the ac¬ 
ceptance by all who heard the preaching and teaching, 
for we know that the disciples were rejected, maligned, 
hated, and in some instances perhaps imprisoned. So 
evangelization does not always end in conversion. In¬ 
deed, even “ discipleship ” is not always equivalent to 
real salvation in the New Testament, as is evident by 
Simon Magus (Acts 8) ; also those “disciples” referred 
to in Acts, chapters 12, 18, 19. So we read in John 6, 
“that from that time forth many of his disciples went 
back on him and walked no more with him.” Surely 
these were not truly converted persons, but merely nomi¬ 
nal disciples and followers of Christ. 

A Difficulty 

Perhaps it would be w r ell in this connection to consider 
the objection raised against the premillennial view of 
Christ’s Coming on the basis of the passage, “And ye 
shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. . . . 
For verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone 
through all the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be 
come” (Matt. 10:23). In seeking to understand this 
passage which is used as an objection to the Coming 
Again at some future day of our Lord Jesus, we should 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


227 


remember that what is printed on a railroad ticket also 
holds good here: “Not good if detached.” This verse 
must be interpreted in the light of its context. Jesus 
was a wonderful Teacher. He was a seer of great dis¬ 
tances. He saw not only that which was close at hand, 
but also that which lay centuries ahead. So in connec¬ 
tion with this verse: He had the future as well as the 
present in mind. A careful reading of the chapter 
makes that very clear. He referred to the treatment the 
disciples would receive on the present itinerary among 
the ‘ ‘ cities of Israel ’ ’; but He foretold also the treatment 
they would receive at the hands of the Gentiles in that 
future work: “Yea, and before governors and kings shall 
ye be brought for my sake and for a testimony to them 
and to the Gentiles” (Matt. 10:18). In point of fact, 
history shows that so fierce was the opposition and perse¬ 
cution wfith which the apostles were met that they did not 
finish the evangelization of “all the cities of Israel.” 
There is, therefore, a work of evangelization among the 
chosen people in their own land yet to be done. After 
the Church has fulfilled her function, and God has chosen 
a people from among the Gentiles for His name, then He 
will return and build again the tabernacle of David 
which is fallen down (cf. Acts 15:16). 

“This Generation” 

Still another illustration of the need of regarding the 
context in connection with those Scriptures which deal 
with the Coming Again of Jesus Christ, and which are 
put forth as contradicting premillennialism, is Matthew 
24:34 and Mark 13:30, “Verily I say unto you, This 
generation shall not pass away till all these things be 
accomplished.” The word “generation” as here used, 


228 


THE COMING KING 


refers not to “a generation of thirty years,’’ in which 
time all these things should be fulfilled. It could not 
mean that, for Christ mentions matters in this very chap¬ 
ter which very clearly point to hundreds of years in the 
future. He clearly states that ‘ ‘ this generation shall not 
pass away till all these things be accomplished.” Then 
He details events which we now know have covered 
many, many centuries. Further, Christ declares that 
‘ ‘ no man knoweth the day nor the hour ’ ’ in which these 
things shall be fulfilled. How could He say that if He 
had meant that the present generation of thirty years 
would see their fulfillment ? Jesus never employed such 
foolish reasoning. 

The Meaning of “Leaven” 

It is claimed by the postmillennialists that the “par¬ 
able of the leaven (Matt. 13) teaches the universal 
spread and acceptance of the Gospel and the conversion 
of the world. ‘‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven 
which a woman took and hid in three measures of 
meal until the whole was leavened” (Matt. 13:33). 
“Leaven,” it is maintained, represents the Gospel, and 
“the woman” the Church; the expression “until the 
whole was leavened” indicates the complete and final 
victory of the Gospel, and a saved world. 

But, we ask, is the word “leaven” ever used in the 
sense of that which is good in the New Testament? 
Never once. Nor is it so used in the Old Testament, 
save in one possible exceptional case, and that is doubtful 
as to its meaning evil even there. Christ referred to the 
leaven ’ of the Pharisees as being “hypocrisy” and 
“false teaching” (Matt. 16:6, 11, 13; Luke 12:1; Mark 
8:15). Paul speaks of “the leaven of malice and wick- 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


229 


edness” (1 Cor. 5:6), and calls upon believers to “purge 
it out'' of their lives and assemblies, that they may be an 
“unleavened lump” (1 Cor. 5:7). Ask any Jewess 
even to-day who is preparing her home for the keeping 
of the passover why she is clearing her house of all 
“leaven,” and she will tell you that it is because it is a 
symbol of rot, decay, evil, sin. What this parable really 
teaches is that during the days of “Christendom,” the 
time during which the Lord is absent, the Church will, 
toward the end of the age, become permeated with “hy¬ 
pocrisy” and “false doctrine.” And is not that the 
condition of the Church to-day? 

“T1te Stone cut out of the Mountain” 

But, further, it is claimed that “the little stone cut out 
of the mountain without hands,” in Nebuchadnezzar's 
Image (Dan. 2) is typical of the onward march of the 
Church and the spiritual forces of Christ winning the 
world for God. 

It might be well to note, in this connection, that the 
beneficent results accruing from this ‘ ‘ stone ’ ’ are not the 
result of gradual development within the image, but are 
caused by a crisis, a catastrophe—it is cut out of the 
mountain without hands and hurled with terrific force, 
smiting the image and scattering it. The very moment 
“the stone” strikes “the image” it “ immediately” (not 
gradually by the processes of the Church's onward march 
throughout the centuries) fills the whole earth. It is a 
crisis, not a process. 

Again, the “kingdom of the saints of the most high,” 
or “the kingdom of the Son of Man,” is not set up on 
the pedestal of world kingdoms, but on their ruins. This 
is no indication of a converted world, but a world unfit 


230 


THE COMING KING 


to exist when the kingdom of the Son of Man is set up. 
Nor should we overlook the fact that the stone strikes 
the image at its point of lowest deterioration—not on 
head of gold, breast of silver, waist of brass or legs of 
iron, but on ‘ ‘ the toes of iron and clay, ’ ’ when the king¬ 
doms of this world are at their poorest condition. Nor 
does this indicate the betterment of the world until it is 
converted by gradual processes. It betokens the opposite 
—nothing but a catastrophe introduces the new kingdom. 
Again, the striking of the image by the stone does not 
result in its ‘ ‘ conversion ’ ’ but in its ‘ ‘ destruction.’ ’ Nor 
should we overlook the important fact that there are to be 
other kingdoms after this kingdom of the Son of Man 
and of the saints of the Most High is set up. But, ac¬ 
cording to the postmillennialist, there will be another 
kingdom—the Millennial. This is contrary to the teach¬ 
ing of Scripture. 

Not only is it true that Scripture nowhere reveals to 
us anything like 1 ‘ world-conversion ’ ’ in this dispensa¬ 
tion through the agency of the Church, but world condi¬ 
tions to-day give the lie to such a theory. It is indeed a 
poor showing the Church is making if the conversion of 
the world is her appointed task. It is said that we behold 
to-day, after 2,000 years of Gospel preaching, two hun¬ 
dred million more heathen in the world than in the first 
Christian century. At this rate when will the world be 
converted ? Said James Johnson, secretary of the World’s 
Missionary Conference, “The heathen Mohammedan 
population is more to-day by two hundred million than it 
was one hundred years ago, while the converts and their 
families do not amount to three millions. The increase of 
the heathen is numerically more than seventy times 
greater than that of the converts during the century of 


THE TIME OF CHEIST’S COMING 


231 


Christian missions/ ’ Bishop McDowell, after a careful 
survey of conditions covering many years, expresses his 
‘ ‘ doubt that India can ever be won by the present scale 
of missionary operation/’ 

The Meaning of “Better” 

And are conditions at home much better? Advance 
there has been in science, art, and philosophy. Cities 
are more brilliantly lighted; we travel faster and more 
luxuriously; we have bridged the Atlantic with our 
steamers and girdled the globe with our trains. All 
these and many more “improvements” we enjoy in this 
wonderful age. Wireless, radio, telegraph and telephone 
make for greater expedition. It is a much more con¬ 
venient, prosperous and luxurious age in which to live 
than the world has perhaps before seen. But is the world 
better—morally, ethically, spiritually? Is it more like 
God in its ways of thinking and living? Is it growing 
more like Christ? Does it honour God’s holy Word and 
Sabbath as it used to do? Does God control in govern¬ 
mental matters? It has been well said, We call this “an 
age of light”—it is not—three-fourths of the race is in 
spiritual darkness. We call this “an age of education” 
—it is not—with one person in every three unable to 
read or write. We call it “an age of reason”—it is not 
—but a single spark ignited the whole world in 1914. 
We call it an “age of widespread beneficence”—it is not 
—for one-half of the human race is without access to a 
physician and is rotting with disease. We call it “an 
age of wealth”—but with war debts mounting up in 
every nation a recent magazine says that we are rapidly 
approaching world-wide bankruptcy. We call it i an 
age of success”—but God calls it failure, evil men and 


232 


THE COMING KING 


seducers waxing worse and worse, deceiving and being 
deceived. We call it “an age of science”■—yet is it not 
startling that the quiet studies of men in laboratories, 
that the thoughtful developments that have taken place 
in quiet lecture-rooms have now turned to the destruction 
of civilization? 

A modern magazine writer of special note said re¬ 
cently: “Nineteenth century civilization has broken 
down . . . there is a collapse of human moral en¬ 

ergy, a revival of the primitive, barbaric instincts, and 
the fierce endeavour to have one’s little private will by 
force. The general sense of the purpose of life is lost in 
the chaos of petty warring impulses. I do not wish to 
appear to be preaching, but only the imagery of the 
Apocalypse can do justice to the present state of Europe. 
It is not a political, but a spiritual, crisis. If the League 
of Nations is an Utopia, then our spiritual strength is ex¬ 
hausted and civilization will go down in a welter of bar¬ 
barous slaughter. ’ ’—Harold. 

Dr. Griffith Thomas, in reviewing Snowden’s book, 
says, “Even Snowden, after identifying ‘material prog¬ 
ress’ with the ‘Kingdom of God,’ admits in the same 
breath almost that ‘our whole material civilization is a 
monstrous magazine, that uncontrolled human selfishness 
can blow up in a world explosion that would shake the 
planet to its centre. We must control it or it will de¬ 
stroy us.” 

Dr. Inge, Dean of St. Paul’s, London, speaking on 
‘ ‘ The Superstition of Progress, ’ ’ said, ‘ ‘ If the idea were 
tested more closely it would be seen that physically the 
race has made no progress for thousands of years, that, 
mentally, it could not be claimed that we are the equals 
of the Athenians or superior to the Romans, and though 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


233 


moral improvement is difficult to gauge, the evidence of 
the war has seemed to show that we are not more humane 
or just or less brutal than the ancients.” 

Consider the suggested and much needed censorship in 
morals, movies and literature; the decline in moral rela¬ 
tions; the alarming spread of sexual diseases; the in¬ 
crease of divorces, suicides and murders, and then let us 
ask ourselves some serious questions as to the world 
growing better. 


Disturbing Facts 

I saw some figures a little while ago that startled me. 
They declared that there were ten million children in the 
United States that never go to Sunday School; fourteen 
million youths that never darken the doors of a church 
and are altogether without any religious instruction, and 
that sixty-five per cent, of our population is unchurched, 
that is, have no religious affiliations. A report from the 
Inter-Church World Movement some time ago stated that 
after a careful canvass it was found that only eight out 
of every thousand children in the State of Massachusetts 
knew the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments, 
and that the figures were more seriously disheartening in 
New York State. 

In view of these things, what is the use of talking 
about the world being converted before Christ comes. If 
matters continue as they have been for centuries and are 
at present then it seems as though Christ will never come. 
A converted world! Why, after 2,000 years of Church 
activity and Christian progress what do we see ? A con¬ 
verted world ? Nay, verily; all history does not show a 
converted village , hamlet, town, city, let alone a con¬ 
verted world—and all this after 2,000 years of Christian 


234 


THE COMING KING 


service and Gospel preaching. And shall we say it with 
bated breath?— one scarce sees a converted household. 
Alas for the “world conversion’’ theory! 

(5) It is said that premillennialism i( cuts the nerve of 
Foreign Missions 

No charge could be more untrue, it seems to us, than 
this. The history of Missions gives such a charge the 
lie. It ought not to be difficult to refute so false a state¬ 
ment. Here is the testimony of Dr. Hudson Taylor, the 
founder of the great China Inland Mission, as to the 
effect the study of the Second Coming had upon his life 
in relation to foreign missions: “Very early in my life 
the subject of our Lord’s near Return was brought be¬ 
fore me. I went carefully through all the passages in 
the Bible; and the result was that it gave me to see that 
the hope of the Coming of the Lord is the paramount 
motive given in the New Testament for earnest, holy 
service here. Some one speaks of it 'cutting the nerve 
of missionary effort.’ I wish to bear personal testimony 
that it has been the greatest personal spur to me in mis¬ 
sionary service. . . . There is first the Coming of 
the Lord for His saints, and then His coming with them, 
and we hasten His coming ... by doing all that in 
us lies to carry the Gospel everywhere.” Does that 
sound as though Dr. Hudson Taylor’s premillennialism 
had hindered his foreign missionary effort? Can the 
postmillennialist show similar results? 

In the Princeton Review, some years ago, there was 
an interesting article by Dr. R. M. Patterson, a postmil- 
lennial writer, in which he refers to this very charge 
made against premillennialism—that it “cuts the nerve 
of missions. ’ ’ He says,'' One charge that is made against 
premillennialism is unjust: that it must cut the nerve of 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


235 


preaching and missionary effort. . . . For ourselves 
we must confess that among our personal friends who 
hold this error (premillennialism) are the most spiri¬ 
tually minded Christians and the most earnest and suc¬ 
cessful of Christian pastors and preachers. ’ 91 

Who was it that first introduced the Gospel to China ? 
Earl Gutzlaff, a premillennialist. Who opened the door 
of Christian Missions to Japan? John Battleheim, of 
Hungary, a premillennialist. Who established Mission¬ 
ary Societies in ten German Universities? Professor 
Delitzsch, the premillennialist. By whom was the world’s 
greatest Missionary hymn—“From Greenland’s Icy 
Mountains,” etc.,—written? Was not its author Regi¬ 
nald Heber, a premillennialist? Robert McCheyne, the 
inspirer of Missions, was a premillennialist. Alexander 
Duff, who opened the door to Missions in India, was a 
premillennialist. George Mueller, who sent the Gospel 
into all lands, was a premillennialist. J. Hudson, the 
great apostle of the China Inland Mission, was a premil¬ 
lennialist. Dr. Grattan Guinness, of London, who sent 
over five hundred missionaries to the foreign field, was a 
premillennialist. John G. Paton, missionary to the New 
Hebrides, was a premillennialist. Adoniram Judson, the 
heroic missionary to Burmah, was a premillennialist. 
The Christian Missionary Alliance, founded by the late 
Dr. A. B. Simpson, and which has such large representa¬ 
tion in the foreign field, is strictly premillennial. This 
is the position of Robert Speer, and of John Willis Baer. 
It was the position of J. Wilbur Chapman and Dwight L. 
Moody. It was the position of the Wesleys, Calvin, 
Luther, Knox. The originator of the phrase, “The 
world for Christ in this generation,” the late Dr. A. T. 

1 See “ The Return of the Lord,” p. 195 f. 


236 


THE COMING KING 


Pierson, who was for years the editor of The Missionary 
Review , was a premillennialist. Time and space forbid 
to mention other notable names which could easily be 
added to this list. In the light of these facts a postmil- 
lennialist who still continues to say that premillennialism 
“cuts the nerve of missions” is lying and he ought to be 
plainly told so. Such a charge is both a libel and a 
falsehood and no true Christian will engage in either of 
these sins. 1 

(6) Dr. WesVs Reasons for Premillennialism. 

Dr. Nathaniel West gives the following reason why 
premillennialism rather than postmillennialism is the dis¬ 
tinct and clear teaching of the Scripture: 

Because God the Father is one. His “decree” to the 
Son locates the kingdom of glory on earth after the dash¬ 
ing to pieces of the nations, by the Son, in the Messianic 
judgment. “Until” then, the Son sits on the Father’s 
throne, “expecting” (Psa.2:8, 9; 110:1-3; Heb. 10:13; 
1 Cor. 15:25). 

Because God the Son is one. See the parable of the 
tares, and of the nobleman, Matthew 13:40-43. The 
kingdom comes in glory on earth only after the harvest, 
which is at the Second Coming; only after the return of 
the nobleman from the far country. 

Because God the Holy Ghost is one. The Spirit can 
only concur. “Yea, saith the Spirit” (Rev. 14:13). 
The kingdom cannot come until after the second great 
outpouring of the Holy Ghost, the second great Pente¬ 
cost in Jerusalem, when Israel is converted. This fol¬ 
lows the invasion of the land by the last antichrist. See 
Isaiah 59:19, 20, and Romans 11: 25-29; 2 Thessalonians 

1 See Silver’s book again under this subject. It has many more 
such interesting fact's. 


THE TIME OP CHRIST’S COMING 


237 


2:8, 9. Compare these with Acts 3:19-21; Zechariah 
12: 9-14; 13:1; Ezekiel 36: 24-28; 37:1-28; Jeremiah 
33:19-26. Such is the evolution of the kingdom of God 
on earth, the Jew being ever the central figure, at each 
great epoch of development. The prophecies have ‘ ‘ ger- 
minant accomplishment.’’ They “overflow” and “re¬ 
peat.” 

Because the holy angels are such. See Gabriel to Dan¬ 
iel, and to Mary (Dan. 12:1-13; Luke 1: 32, 33). Com¬ 
pare, also, Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 25: 31. 

Because all the prophets are such. Nowhere in proph¬ 
ecy does the glorious kingdom on earth come before 
Messiah’s appearing in the clouds, and the resurrection 
(Dan. 7:13, 27; Rev. 1: 7; 14:14; 19 :11). The passage 
in Daniel 12:2 does not, when correctly rendered, teach 
the simultaneous resurrection of all deceased mankind, 
but only the resurrection of the faithful dead, and the 
concurrent destruction of the last antichristian host, then 
overwhelmed with shame and everlasting contempt. So 
all the great Hebrew doctors have understood it, as did 
the early Christian apologists, and multitudes of the best 
modern scholars. 

Because all the apostles were such. See Peter in Acts 
3:19-21, Paul in Romans 8:19-23, John in Revelation 
20:1-6. The “times” of the “restoring” follow the 
“sending back” of Jesus from heaven, in like manner as 
He went up into heaven, i. e., visibly, personally, in a 
cloud, Olivet, the locality of the ascension, being the lo¬ 
cality of the return (Acts 1:12; Zech. 14:4). 

Because the early Christian Church was such for three 
centuries, until corrupted by the union of the Church 
and State under Constantine, when all the Old Testa¬ 
ment prophecies concerning Israel were applied to the 


238 


THE COMING KING 


nominally Christianized empire of the fourth century. 
To dispute this is to trifle with history. 

Because the only pre-advent millennialists found in 
the Bible are (1) Satan , who would have Christ seated in 
His visible kingdom and glory on earth, not only before 
the second advent, but even before the crucifixion, a 
subtle temptation the object of which is clear (Matt. 
4:8, 9); and (2) antichrist, the last mock-messiah of 
the Jews, entering the field, first of all, by peace, policy, 
craft, and deceit, then going forth “conquering and to 
conquer/ ’ seeking universal dominion, only, however, to 
be overthrown by the true Christ at His appearing from 
“heaven opened” (Rev. 6:2; 19:11-21). 

Because, from whatever point, or event, in the line of 
history, the thousand years are dated, in any case they 
come after, never before , the parousia of Christ, let that 
event be interpreted either literally, spiritually or provi¬ 
dentially. Nothing is more clear. If it is a spiritual 
coming, still the spiritual millennium must follow that 
coming, not precede it. If it is a literal one, the case is 
the same. And that the parousia of Christ, under which 
antichrist falls, and Israel is delivered, and the saints are 
raised, is a literal one, and still future, it is impossible 
for holy writ to make plainer. Nothing but an allegoriz¬ 
ing exegesis can erase the conclusion. 

Because postmillennialism is replete with manifest 
error. As has well been said, it “heathenizes by adopt¬ 
ing a Platonizing and Alexandrine exegesis.” It con¬ 
founds the accommodation and application of Scripture 
with the interpretation of Scripture. But “applica¬ 
tion/’ as Delitzsch well says, is not “interpretation.” 
The former is manifold, the latter unitous. In the for¬ 
mer Israel is evaporated, in the latter Israel holds his 


THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING 


239 


place as a constant factor in the great epochs of the 
kingdom of God. 

Postmillennialism mixes the different ends and ages. 
It substitutes death, the destruction of Jerusalem, revi¬ 
vals, Pentecost, providence, for the second advent of 
Christ in a multitude of passages. It does violence to 
interpretation by dogmatic presuppositions, and per¬ 
sonal inclination. It makes time and history end with 
the end of this present age. It creates an irreconcilable 
antagonism between Daniel and John, and between 
Christ and both, as to the ‘ ‘ first resurrection. ’ ’ It makes 
the “world to come” mean the disembodied state of the 
soul, after death, in a super-earthly sphere. It identifies 
the throne of David with the throne of God the Father 
in heaven. It obliterates the distinction between Israel 
and the Church. And not to multiply instances, it does 
in general for Eschatology what it did for Soteriology 
before the reformation: perverts it, leaving as deep an 
error in the former, to be eradicated by our own and suc¬ 
ceeding times, from the field of evangelical truth, as it 
left in the latter, to be eradicated by the Reformation. 
Protestantism is not yet wholly purged from the errors 
it has inherited from popery. The “leaven” will remain 
in the “meal” until the Lord comes. 


VI 


WHY STUDY THE SECOND COMING OF 

CHRIST? 


T HIS question is often asked: “What is the use 
of studying this doctrine, anyway; it only 
makes for controversy, discussion and the 
separation of Christians? It is purely speculative, and 
like many other prophetic subjects does not yield any 
practical good in the daily life. What difference will it 
make in living ?” 

This is the opinion of the doctrine of the Lord’s Com¬ 
ing that many people entertain. It is a false view of this 
precious doctrine, for there is no more practical doctrine 
in the Word of God than this one. As to its being 
‘ ‘ speculative, ’ ’ well, one may speculate on the doctrine of 
the Trinity, the Atonement, indeed any other of the great 
doctrines of the Christian Faith, but that does not make 
them any the less true or important and vital. True it is 
that belief in this doctrine sometimes divides even church 
people, but so does the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus 
Christ and the vicarious death of Christ. Perhaps, in 
these instances, division is a most healthful sign, much as 
schisms for unnecessary reasons are to be deplored. 

The very prominence of the doctrine of the Second 
Coming of Christ as set forth in the Scriptures (see pp. 
19-29) should be a sufficient reason for the obedient 
child of God to lead him to study it closely. 

Because much of the doctrine has to do with future 
things and events is no reason for its neglect. How 
could one study the whole Bible without giving due place 

240 


WHY STUDY THE SECOND COMING? 241 


to prophecy? “But,” it is claimed, “prophecy has to 
do with the future and so is hidden from us and cannot 
be known by us.” True, prophecy has to do with the 
future, but it is not altogether hidden from us, certainly 
that which is revealed in the Scriptures concerning it is 
not hidden. True, too, it is that “the secret things be¬ 
long to the Lord, ’ ’ but let us quote all the verse, and not 
overlook the words, “but the things that are revealed 
belong to us and to our children forever.” We are told 
(2 Tim. 3:16) that “All Scripture is given by inspira¬ 
tion of God and is profitable.’ ’ All, not a part of it, but 
“all Scripture.” Why then, in the face of these state¬ 
ments, should we fling back into the face of God the 
“prophetic” parts of His sacred Word because, forsooth, 
we maintain they cannot be understood ? 

One was overheard to say, “Oh, that teaching of the 
Second Coming is all about what is going to happen in 
the future, and that is no concern of mine; what I am 
interested in is my personal salvation, and my life in this 
world.” That is consummate selfishness surely. There 
is no real Gospel that does not include prophecy and the 
Kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it of no interest 
to the Christian as to Who and What Christ is to be and 
do in the ages to come? Is the crowning of King Jesus 
of no importance ? Is the fact that the Father has been 
pleased to “sum up all things in Christ” of no concern 
to us? To the unconverted the consideration of pro¬ 
phetic subjects may be a side-stepping of the main, and 
to them the more important question—their souFs salva¬ 
tion, but surely this cannot be true of the Christian’s 
interest in it. Whatever has to do with the exaltation 
and glorification of Christ has everything to do with 
the Christian, for in that exaltation and glorification 


242 


THE COMING KING 


the Christian is to share. And still there is a 
sense in which the Second Coming of Christ is of 
vital concern even to the unconverted. The Coming 
of Christ is very vitally related to “all the kindreds of 
the earth,” who shall wail and mourn because of their 
unprepared state; it is the wicked who will ‘ ‘ cry for the 
rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them 
from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from 
the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath is 
come.” 

“It was this hope,” says Dr. Denny, who, by the way, 
is not friendly to the premillennial doctrine, “which 
more than anything else gave its colour to the primitive 
Christianity, its unworldliness, its moral intensity, its 
command of the future even in this life. That attitude 
of expectation is the bloom, as it were, of the Christian’s 
character. Without it there is something lacking; the 
Christian who does not look upward and outward wants 
one mark of perfection. ’ ’ 

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, than whom there is perhaps 
no greater living expositor of the Word of God, in speak¬ 
ing of the Second Coming as an incentive to Christian 
living, says, “How long is patience to have her perfect 
work? Until the Coming of the Lord (James 5:7). 
How long am I to serve in the King’s will in this age? 
Trade ye herewith until I come (Luke 19:13). When 
am I to be crowned? At the appearing of Christ (2 Tim. 
4:8). When shall we enjoy the reunion with our de¬ 
parted loved ones? When the Lord Himself shall de¬ 
scend from heaven (1 Thess. 4:13-17). Whatever we 
think of as the character of Christian service and life in 
this age, we will find it bounded in the New Testament 
never by death but always by the Coming of our Lord 


WHY STUDY THE SECOND COMING? 243 


Jesus Christ.’’ He then goes on to show that there will 
be two classes of people, or perhaps two attitudes mani¬ 
fested by people at the Coming of the Lord: those who 
will be ashamed and those who will have boldness or con¬ 
fidence before Him when He appears. So you see the 
very attitude of man toward Christ is determined very 
largely by his relation to this great doctrine of the Lord’s 
Coming. 

It is remarkable to note that whenever the Second 
Coming is mentioned in the New Testament it is always 
in relation to having an imminent and practical effect 
upon the life. In almost every instance an exhortation 
or warning is connected with the teaching of the Coming. 
If we are constantly looking for His Coming then we will 
not be doing anything which would bring the blush of 
shame to our cheeks should He come and find us in the 
doing of it. “Every man that hath this hope in him 
purifieth himself” (cf. 1 John 3:3; 2:28). 

No wonder then that Dr. Morgan asks, “Are these 
facts not most important as to the bearing of this teach¬ 
ing on life? How will it affect my behaviour? I would 
suggest the question rather than attempt the answer. 
How should I conduct my business knowing that even as 
I make my entry I may be interrupted by the call of my 
Master? How shall I conduct myself in my social and 
domestic life, in my recreations and amusements knowing 
that at any moment He may summon me into His pres¬ 
ence? The purifying effect of such considerations are 
evident. The Christian is to serve his generation, live in 
his home, conduct his business, engage in his pursuits, 
indulge in his amusements so as to be in readiness at any 
time. ’ 9 

Let me close with the words of the Master Himself in 


244 


THE COMING KING 


describing the true and faithful servant of His who does 
His will: “Let your loins be girded about, and your 
lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that 
wait for their Lord, when he shall return from the wed¬ 
ding ; that when he eometh and knocketh, they may open 
to him immediately. Be ye therefore ready also; for the 
Son of Man eometh in an hour when ye think not” 
(Luke 12:36-40). 

“If I were told that Christ would come to-morrow; 
That the next sun 

Which sinks, should bear us past all fear and sorrow, 
Care and pain; 

All the fight fought, and all the journey through— 
What would I do? 

“ I do not think that I should shrink or falter, 

But just go on 

Doing my work, nor change, nor seek to alter 
Aught that is gone; 

But rise, and move, and love, and smile, and pray, 
For one more day. 

“And lying down at night for a last sleeping, 

Say in that ear 

Which hearkens ever, ‘ Lord, within Thy keeping, 

How should I fear ? 

And when to-morrow brings Thee nearer still, 

Do Thou Thy will/ 

“I might not sleep, for awe; but peaceful, tender, 

My soul would lie 

All the night long; and when the morning splendour 
Flashed o’er the sky, 

I think I could smile, could calmly say, 

‘It is His Day!’ ” 


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Author 0/“ Thirty-one Revival Sermons'' 

The New Ten Commandments 

and Other Sermons. $1.50. 

Strong, stirring Gospel addresses reflecting the true 
evangelical note, Dr. Banks’ latest volume, fully main¬ 
tains his impressive, picturesque style of presentation. 
Apt quotation, fitting illustration, drawn from literature 
and human life give point and color to his work, which 
is without a dull or meaningless page. 

FRANK CHALMERS McKEAN, A.M ., D.D. 

The Magnetism of Mystery 

and Other Sermons 

Introduction by J. A. Marquis, D.D. $1.25 

Dr. John A. Marquis says: “Dr. McKean’s sermons are 
shafts with points, and he hurls them with vigor and sure¬ 
ness. They will be read with interest, not only for what 
they are in themselves, but as types of the pulpit ministry 
that is making the Church of the Middle West.” 









WORKS ON PROPHECY 


I. M. HALDEMAN, D.D. Pastor First Baptist 

Church, New York City. 

Christ, Christianity and the Bible 

A Forceful Restatement of the Fundamentals 
of the Faith. $1.25. 

“No other preacher in America has a better right 
to speak than Dr. Haldeman. He has spent a life-time 
studying the questions, and as a working force in daily 
life he has tested out their efficacy and power in a 
long and successful ministry. His writings are simple, 
direct, forcible and comprehensive. They deserve a wide 
reading among leaders of all schools of thought.”— 
Watchman-Examiner. 


ROBERT CAMERON, D.D. 

Editor of “ Watchword and Truth ” 

Scriptural Truth About the 

Lord’s Return $1.25. 

A much-needed review of the many studies of the 
Second Coming of the Lord. Himself a profound be¬ 
liever in the Second Advent, Dr. Cameron will be found 
a sound, safe guide for those who, by reason of much 
conflicting testimony, find themselves in a quandary as 
to what it is in the Scriptures really teach concerning 
the Return of the Lord. 


/. J. ROSS , D.D. Pastor Second Baptist Church, 

Chicago , III. 

Our Glorious Hope 

A Study of the Nature, Ground and Influence 
of the Glorious Hope of Our Lord’s Second Com¬ 
ing. $1.25. 

“This book from the beginning to the end is marked with 
sanity, and clear, fine interpretation of Scripture. It is 
one of the best, if not the very best book on the Second 
Coming of Christ .”—Western Recorder. 


J. J. ROSS , D.D. 

Daniel’s Half Week Now Closing 

A Study of Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy 
Weeks. $1.00. 

. The excellent spirit shown by the author in this volume 
is certainly commendable. He leaves nothing in this great 
prophecy that is not carefully looked at from all directions 
and explained. —The Globe. 











EVANGELISTIC METHODS, ETC. 


R. A. TORREY , D.D. 

The Gospel for To-day- 

New Evangelistic Sermons for a New Day. 

$1.50. 

A new volume of appealing addresses by the well-known 
evangelist and Bible teacher, characterized by unusual 
clearness of statement and frankness of appeal. The 
Christian Endeavor World says of Dr. Torrey’s sermons: 
“They are full of power. They have Moody’s earnest¬ 
ness and pith. They are sound to the core. They will 
make revivals even in their printed form.” 

R. A. TORREY , D.D. 

Personal Work 

$1.25. 

A new edition of Dr. Torrey’s pertinent and timely 
volume for evangelistic work. As one reviewer said: 
“Dr. Torrey is not one of the men who ‘aim at nothing 
and hit it.’ He is no trifler, and does not act as if he 
imagined that one bit of argument or appeal is not about 
as good as another irrespective of the particular state of 
mind of the person appealed to.” 

DWIGHT MALLORY PRATT, D.D. Piignm 
■ 1 - --- Memorial Fund. 

The Master’s Method of Winning Men 

Introduction by Frederick L. Fagley, D.D. 

$1.00. 

A plea for “personal evangelism.” While not unmind' 
ful of the usefulness and practicability of other ways of 
bringing men to Christ, Dr. Pratt gives pride of place 
to personal contact as the most effectual method of win¬ 
ning souls. He adds the records of a number of striking 
instances of how it has shown itself to be one of the 
chief glories and most effective agencies of the Christian 
religion. 

JOHN TIMOTHY STONE 

Recruiting for Christ 

Hand-to-Hand Methods with Men. 

New Edition. $1.50. 

An up-to-date edition of this helpful book on Evan¬ 
gelistic work of which The Presbyterian Advance said: 
“Preaching is no less necessary than formerly, but must 
be supplemented by personal appeal. This remarkably 
helpful book contains many suggestions, drawn largely 
from personal experience, as to the men to reach, prep¬ 
aration for the work, methods of approach, methods of 
work, etc.” 








STANDARD REFERENCE WORKS 


G. B. F. HALLOCK Editor of “The Expositor” 

A Modern Cyclopedia of Illus¬ 
trations for All Occasions 

Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-eight Illustrations. 

$3.00. 

A comprehensive collection of illustrative incidents, 
anecdotes and other suggestive material for the outstanding 
days and seasons of the church year. The author, well- 
known to the readers of '‘The Expositor,” has presented 
a really valuable handbook for Preachers, Sunday School 
Superintendents and all Christian workers. 

JAMES INGLIS 

The Bible Text Cyclopedia 

A Complete Classification of Scripture Texts. 
New Edition. Large 8vo, $2.00 

“More sensible and convenient, and every way more 
satisfactory than any book of the kind we have ever 
known. We know of no other work comparable with 
it in this department of study.”— Sunday School Times. 

ANGUS-GREEN 

Cyclopedic Handbook to the Bible 

By Joseph Angus. Revised by Samuel G. Green. 

New Edition. 832 pages, with Index, $3.00. 

“The Best thing in its line.”— Ira M. Price, Univ. of 
Chicago. 

“Holds an unchallenged place among aids to the inter¬ 
pretation of the Scriptures.”— Baptist Review and Ex¬ 
positor. 

“Of immense service to Biblical students.”— Methodist 
Times. 

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge 

Introduction by R. A. Torrey 
Consisting of 500,000 Scripture References and 
Parallel Passages. 788 pages. 8vo. Cloth. $3.00. 

“Bible students who desire to compare Scripture with 
Scripture will find the ‘Treasury’ to be a better help than 
any other book of which I have any knowledge.”— R. R. 
McBurney, Former Gen. Sec., Y. M. C. A., New York. 

A. R. BUCKLAND, Editor 

Universal Bible Dictionary 

511 pages. 8vo. Cloth. $3.00. 

Dr. Campbell Morgan says: “Clear, concise, compre¬ 
hensive. I do not hesitate to say that if any student 
would take the Bible, and go through it book by book with 
its aid, the gain would be enormous.” 









SUNDAY SCHOOL WORK 


E. MORRIS FERGUSSON , D.D. 

Author of “How to Run a Little Sunday School " 

Church School Administration 

A Manual for Pastor, Teacher, Superintendent 
and Director. $1.75. 

A comprehensive manual of Church school methods 
and administration, for pastor, teacher and superinten¬ 
dent written as the product of thirty-six years of active 
Church school work, Dr. Fergusson’s book presents the 
latest viewpoints and standards of the continually chang¬ 
ing Church situation and forecasts further changes 
which appear to impend. 

CHARLES W. BREW BAKER, D.D. 

Author of “The Devotional Life of the Sunday School ” 

A Program for Sunday School 

Management $1.00 

A complete volume dealing with various phases of Sun¬ 
day school work, such as organization, programs, finance, 
music, community life, the school’s relation to the 
Church, and other details of administration. The book 
has been specially prepared to aid those, who, while more 
than willing to give generously of their service, have 
neither time nor opportunity to devote themselves to 
special preparation for efficient work. 

E. C. KNAPP General Secretary, Inland Empire 

■ * ■ * ■ " Sunday School Association 

The Community Daily Vacation 
Bible School 

Introduction by F. Marion Lawrance. $1.00. 

“Tells how to organize the school, how to finance it, how 
to advertise it, how to conduct it, and the daily program, 
music and worship, story telling, the verse finding, the sur¬ 
prise hour, hand work, health and habit talks, dramatics 
and pageantry, kindergarten and primary, games and out¬ 
ings, discipline and order, afternoon sessions, the final 
program. The book is concluded with a very good and 
up-to-date bibliography.”— N. W. Christian Advocate. 

W. E. ATKINSON (Compiler) 

The Value of the Sunday School 

Testimony of Successful Men. $1.00 

it is a matter for genuine satisfaction to have 
brought together, the unanimous tribute of so many 
prominent men concerning the usefulness and high 
incentive of the Sunday-school in later life. The Vice 
President, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, _ Mayors, 
merchants and other publicists all unite in bearing testi¬ 
mony to the good accomplished and the influence exerted 
by the Sunday School in every walk of life. 








SUNDAY SCHOOL TOOLS 


R. F. Y. PIERCE , D.D. Author of' “Pictured 

■ ' - Truth," etc. 

Blackboard Efficiency 

A Suggestive Method for the use of Crayon 
and Blackboard. Fully illustrated. $1.50. 

Dr. Pierce presents no “untried theories,” nor elaborate 
pictures, but gives a wealth of simple outlines, symbols, 
sketches, forms, lines and combinations which may be 
quickly drawn to stimulate the imagination and aid in 
imparting the truths of the lesson. The exercises cover 
a wide range of illustrative work and will prove sug¬ 
gestive and workable to teacher, pastor and Christian 
Worker. 

MARTHA TARBELL, Ph.D, 

Tarbell’s Teachers’ Guide, 1923 

To the International Sunday School Lessons. 
Printed in clear plain type with many handsome 
Illustration, Maps, Diagrams, etc. 8vo, cloth. 

Net $1.90 (postage 10c). 

The most complete and useful of all Sunday School 
Commentaries presents the very best comments on the 
lessons, including every conceivable help that modern 
science and modern methods have devised. 


THE POPULAR LESSON HELP 

The Practical Commentary, 1923 

On the International Sunday School Lessons. 
Cloth. Net 90c (postage 10c). 

With Its hints to teachers, illustrations, blackboard 
exercises, questions, maps, etc., this popular help has for 
many years supplied the need for a good, all-round 
commentary at a popular price. 


R. A. TORREY , D.D. 


The Gist of the Lesson, 1923 

A Commentary on the International S. S. 
Lessons. i6mo, flexible cloth. Net 35c. 

“To those who have possessed and used former issues 
that for this year will need no commendation. It is not 
only handy in form but wondrously complete .”—Chris tk*n 
Intelligencer. 































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